Hong Kong International Airport handled 4.81 million passengers in March, marking an increase of 10.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

AAHK said in a statement that the airport also recorded 33,240 flight movements last month, up 11.5 percent year-on-year, with passenger growth mainly driven by double-digit increases in transfer and transit passengers and visitors.

Passenger segments from all regions experienced growth compared to the same month last year as traffic to and from the Chinese mainland and Japan continued to be the primary drivers, AAHK said.

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Over the first quarter of 2025, passenger volume rose 15.0 percent year-on-year to 14.59 million while flight movements increased by 11.3 percent to 95,975, it added.

Cargo volume recorded a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percent to 449,000 tonnes in March, which was mainly driven by a 5.8 percent rise in exports.

Cargo traffic to and from the Middle East and Europe continued to grow the most among key trading regions during the month. Over the first quarter of 2025, cargo traffic saw an increase of 3.2 percent over the same period in 2024 to approximately 1.17 million tonnes.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume surged by 21.6 percent to 54.94 million while flight movements leapt by 20.5 percent to 373,050. Cargo throughput increased by 10.3 percent year-on-year to 4.97 million tonnes.

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HKIA also expanded its already extensive aviation network in March. Cathay Pacific, West Air and Vietnam Airlines launched new routes to and from Hyderabad, Dali and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively.

According to provisional figures released on Monday by Airports Council International, the HKIA retained its position in 2024 as the world’s busiest cargo airport while being named ninth for passenger traffic.