Hong Kong International Airport handled 4.5 million passengers in February, marking an annual increase of 7.0 percent, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

The AAHK said traffic peaked on Feb 2, which was within the Chinese New Year period, as HKIA handled about 195,000 passengers, reaching another new daily peak after the COVID-19 pandemic and indicating a return to the pre-pandemic peak level.

For the whole month of February, flight movements increased by 5.2 percent year-on-year to 29,075, the AAHK added.

With the effect of the Chinese New Year, the HKIA handled 9.8 million passengers in the first two months of the year, or an increase of 17.3 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

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Flight movements registered a year-on-year increase of 11.2 percent to 62,735 during the two-month period while transfer/transit passengers grew by 36 percent and visitors increased by 15 percent.

Traffic to and from Southeast Asia and Japan recorded the most significant increases, the AAHK said.

Over the first two months of 2025, cargo throughput also rose by 2.2 percent to 718,000 tonnes, with transshipments recording the highest year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent.

Many cargo sectors recorded positive growth, with cargo traffic to and from Europe and the Middle East growing the most among key trading regions. In February, HKIA handled 324,000 tonnes of cargo, on par with a year ago.

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On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume surged by 25.0 percent year-on-year to 54.5 million, while flight movements experienced a significant 23.2 percent increase to 369,635, the AAHK said.

Cargo volume saw double-digit year-on-year growth of 11.2 percent to 4.95 million tonnes, it added.

The AAHK also noted that Tibet Airlines added a new flight route to Lhasa via Chengdu in February, further expanding HKIA’s extensive air network.