This picture taken on January 5, 2023 shows a man walking past an electronic sign displaying flight details at Hong Kong International Airport. (PHOTO / AFP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s air passenger traffic is set to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday.

IATA said in a statement that it upgraded its passenger traffic projections for Hong Kong as it welcomed the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s efforts to ease the city’s labor crunch in the aviation sector.  

IATA noted that the HKSAR government earlier announced a labor importation program to ramp-up the airport workforce by 6,300 workers from the mainland

“The situation is looking bright for Hong Kong. (The Chinese mainland’s) earlier than expected reopening is providing a much-needed boost to the passenger recovery," Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"By the end of 2024, we expect to see Hong Kong’s traffic return to pre-crisis levels. And it is encouraging to see the Hong Kong government preparing for this with measures to ensure that the workers needed to support the recovery are available,” he added.

IATA noted that the HKSAR government earlier announced a labor importation program to ramp-up the airport workforce by 6,300 workers from the mainland.

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“The last three years have been devastating for the aviation sector. As we look ahead to the recovery and prepare for future growth, it is important that the entire Hong Kong aviation community, including airlines, airport, regulator, and government, work together to address the challenges and are well prepared to tap on future opportunities,” Walsh said.  

“I look forward to being in Hong Kong in August to meet with various partners and engage in fruitful discussions,” he added.

IATA and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) are partnering to organize the Hong Kong Aviation Day from August 2-3, 2023.

According to the AAHK, Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.1 million passengers in May, marking a year-on-year surge of over 17 times.

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The AAHK said flight movements also saw an increase of 113 percent to 22,200 from the low base last year as travel rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the first five months of the year, the airport handled 13.2 million passengers and 96,410 flight movements, marking an increase of over 23 times and 89 percent respectively, from the low base in the same period in 2022, the AAHK said.