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The Airport Authority Hong Kong released air traffic statistics on July 20 showing that Hong Kong International Airport processed 32.8 million passengers during the first half of 2026, an 11.7 percent rise year on year. Flight movements climbed 4.4 percent to 200,685 in the same period. In June alone passenger numbers increased 7.9 percent to 5.12 million while flight movements gained 2.3 percent to 31,940, with growth supported by a double-digit rise in transfer and transit passengers as most regional markets expanded, led by Japan and the Chinese mainland.
Cargo throughput at the airport remained resilient in the first half, climbing 4.1 percent to 2.5 million tonnes according to the authority’s figures. For June cargo rose 6.8 percent to 436,000 tonnes, driven mainly by a 19.5 percent increase in transshipment while exports grew 3.2 percent and imports 5.5 percent. The Middle East posted the strongest regional cargo growth in June, returning to expansion for a fourth month, complemented by gains in Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland.
On a 12-month rolling basis the authority’s data placed total passenger traffic at 64.4 million, up 12.7 percent, with flight movements at 403,120, an increase of 5.9 percent. Cargo volume on the rolling measure reached 5.17 million tonnes, 3.7 percent higher than a year earlier. These trends illustrate sustained momentum across passenger, flight and freight segments at Hong Kong International Airport.
The authority noted that Hong Kong International Airport received the Airport of the Year – Major Cargo Hub award for the second consecutive year at the World Air Cargo Awards 2026 along with the Air Cargo Innovation Award for its Hong Kong Air Import SmartCollect initiative. At the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards 2026 the airport was named Best Global Airport for the 11th consecutive year and Best Airport – Asia for those handling over 1 million tonnes for a second straight year. The awards recognise excellence in service, innovation, sustainability and leadership in the airfreight sector.
Chapman Fong, Director of Hub Development at the Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the continued growth in cargo throughput in the first half of 2026 epitomised HKIA’s resilience empowered by our strong connectivity and excellent cargo services. Fong added that the two latest awards received by HKIA are strong recognition of the collective efforts of the airport community and reinforce our reputation as a global leader in air cargo. He stated that the authority will continue to advance innovation and digitalisation across the cargo supply chain to further streamline cargo handling and enhance its competitiveness.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan referenced the authority’s first-half statistics in a blog post published on Sunday, noting that Hong Kong is consolidating and enhancing its status as an international aviation hub. Chan wrote that visitor arrivals to the city reached 31.2 million in the first seven months of 2026, an increase of 12 percent on the same period a year earlier. The financial secretary’s comments underscored how a variety of events and growing visitor numbers have contributed to the airport’s traffic recovery.
Chan also outlined expectations for the remainder of 2026, stating that the city anticipates more than 1.85 million visitors attending over 100 events in the second half, which are projected to generate about HK$5.9 billion in spending and HK$3.3 billion in economic value. The Hong Kong airport cargo community has additionally become the first such ecosystem to adopt the IATA Environmental Assessment framework, a step the authority highlighted as reflecting a shared commitment to environmental stewardship. This initiative aims to strengthen performance, foster transparency and promote continuous improvement across the aviation value chain.
