Hong Kong International Airport handled 5.74 million passengers in March, up 19.6 percent from the same period last year, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

The AAHK said in a statement that Hong Kong also secured four spots in the global top ten busiest international airlines routes announced this month, led by the Hong Kong-Taipei route which ranked first.

The HKIA handled 34,100 flight movements in March, a year-on-year increase of 2.7 percent, it added.

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The airport authority said passenger growth was mainly driven by the double-digit increase in transfer/transit passengers and visitors.

It added that the recent tension in the Middle East resulted in notable growth in the traffic to and from Europe while traffic to and from Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland also continued to increase.

Cargo volume decreased by 4.4 percent to 430,000 tonnes compared with March 2025 primarily due to a 14.9 percent year‑on‑year drop in exports after a steep 62.1 percent reduction in exports to the Middle East following regional tensions, the AAHK said.

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On the other hand, imports and transshipment posted year‑on‑year increases of 6.5 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively, partially offsetting the downturn in exports, it added.

Over the first quarter of the year, HKIA passenger traffic exceeded 16.67 million while flight movements reached 100,645, representing year-on-year growth of 14.3 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively. Cargo volume rose by 3.3 percent year on year to 1.21 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume experienced a double-digit increase of 14.8 percent to 63.05 million, while flight movements rose by 7.1 percent to 399,450. Cargo throughput grew by 2.7 percent to 5.10 million tonnes.

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Meanwhile, OAG, a provider of flight data and analysis services, announced that four of the global top ten busiest international passenger flight routes in April 2026 connect with HKIA.

Hong Kong-Taipei route was again ranked as the busiest while Hong Kong-Bangkok, Hong Kong-Manila and Hong Kong-Seoul/ICN routes made it to the 6th, 7th and 9th places, respectively, OAG said.

HKIA also bagged the “World’s Best Airport 2026” title in the World Business Outlook Awards 2026 for its world-class efficiency, exceptional service and outstanding facilities.