Now that the commercial airline landscape is starting to resemble what it once looked like, it’s easy to lose sight of how devastated some regions were by the pandemic. Hong Kong, which also suffered from extensive student rioting, was once the leading commercial hub of Asia, with a gleaming new airport rivaling the mega hubs of Atlanta, London and Dubai.
Gearing up for growth, not COVID
The speed at which Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) turned into a ghost town was breathtaking. In 2018 HKIA reached its peak, handling 74.69 million passengers and 427,725 flight movements, a growth of 2.5% and 1.7%, respectively, over 2017 figures. At the start of 2019, the airport opened a new Terminal 1 Annex with 40 new check-in counters, two extra baggage reclaim carousels, plus more seats, shops and catering outlets in the expanded Arrivals Hall.
Photo: Sorbis | Shutterstock
The expansion was helpful in 2019 when HKIA handled 71.54 million passengers, although, by December, the signs of things to come were appearing. In December 2019, monthly passenger volume fell by 12.5% year-on-year, which started the slippery slope that engulfed Hong Kong and its airport for the next three years.
In 2020 the airport handled 8.84 million passengers and 160,665 flight movements, losing 88% of its passenger volume in just twelve months. The only hopeful sign was the strength of Hong Kong’s role as a global cargo hub, with freight volumes remaining relatively stable, declining by just 7%.
Photo: viper-zero | Shutterstock
However, cargo flights increased by 18% in 2020, with the airport recording 68,660 cargo flights, up from 58,040 in 2019. The fall in volumes, as measured by weight, and the increase in flights reflect the changing nature of trade and goods flowing through the region.
By 2021 the picture had changed completely, with the total annual volume of 1.35 million passengers just a fraction of one month’s traffic in 2018. This was when aviation was clinging to the thought that things couldn’t get any worse, just as they promptly did. Passenger numbers reached just 15% of 2020 levels and 1.8% of the 74.69 million handled in 2018.
Photo: Hong Kong Airport News Room
In 2019 HKIA employed around 73,000 staff, yet in December 2020, it handled 91,000 passengers, such was the impact of the pandemic. Cargo throughput in 2021 rose by 12.5% to 5.0 million tonnes, exceeding the 4.8 million tonnes handled in 2019. The increased volumes led to a record of 82,935 cargo flights using HKIA, a 20% year-on-year increase.
The tide is turning
Last year the tide started to turn, with the airport handling 5.7 million passengers. To keep things in perspective, this was still less than the 6.5 million it processed in January 2019 but a welcome boost over the previous year.
In January this year, the Airport Authority of Hong Kong CEO Fred Lam said that when the Hong Kong government relaxed travel restrictions for inbound travelers in the second half of the year, he “saw the light at the end of the tunnel.” He added:
“Passenger traffic at HKIA started to pick up in the last quarter of 2022. We also have a good start of 2023 with the resumption of normal travel with the mainland. We are confident that passenger traffic will continue to recover at HKIA.”
In December 2022, 1.6 million passengers passed through HKIA, and as China rejoined international travel, that surged to 2.1 million in January this year. At its peak in January, the airport handled around 80,000 passengers daily, about 40% of pre-pandemic levels.
That was helped by strong passenger demand for Chinese New Year and end-of-year holidays and the fact that Hong Kong residents packed their bags and headed off for international trips. The airport said that the most significant increases came from travel between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Photo: Airport Authority of Hong Kong.
While airports have copped plenty of criticism as the recovery kicks in, spare a thought for their finances as they have battled through this pandemic. Despite all the negative financial impacts, in 2022, HKIA commissioned its new third runway and opened Skybridge, a 200-meter-long footbridge connecting Terminal 1 and the T1 Satellite Concourse. It still has a long way to go, but hopefully, 2023 will see HKIA reap the benefits of its investments during 2023.
Have you used HKIA over the recent holiday season? Let us know in the comments.
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Hong Kong International Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- HKG/VHHH
- Country:
- China (Special Administrative Region)
- CEO:
- Fred Lam
- Passenger Count :
- 1,196,000 (2021)
- Runways :
- 07R/25L – 3,800m (12,467ft) |07L/25R – 3,800m (12,467ft)
- Terminals:
- Terminal 1 |Terminal 2
