Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) retained its position in 2024 as the world’s busiest cargo airport while being named ninth for passenger traffic. 

Fresh from expanding and adding a third runway, it handled 4.9 million metric tonnes of freight, a 3.3 percent year-on-year increase, according to provisional figures released on Monday by Airports Council International (ACI).

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Over the first two months of 2025, cargo throughput in HKIA rose by 2.2 percent to 718,000 tonnes, with transshipments recording the highest year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent. HKIA handled 9.8 million passengers in the first two months of the year, an increase of 17.3 percent compared to the same period in 2024. 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, Airport Authority Hong Kong said in a press release in Feb. 

HKIA is the first airport in the world to attain the full suite of Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certifications from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for handling special air cargo, including pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals and lithium batteries. Since 2017, HKIA has been recognized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a Partner Airport of the IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV).

In cargo handling, Shanghai jumped one spot to second while Memphis slipped to third.

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Dubai International Airport extended its lead as the world’s busiest international airport in 2024 as global travel surged past pre-pandemic levels, according to ACI data.

The Gulf megahub, the home base for Emirates Airlines, handled 92.3 million travelers last year, up 6.1 percent from 2023, the ACI said in a report Monday. London’s Heathrow was second, followed by Seoul Incheon. Singapore and Amsterdam rounded out the top five.

Air travel soared in 2024, with total passenger numbers rising 9 percent to around 9.5 billion, the report said. That’s about 3.8 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

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“Amid global challenges, the resilience of the world’s busiest airports shines,” ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said in a statement. “These hubs are vital arteries of trade, commerce, and connectivity.”

ACI, which represents 2,181 airports in 170 countries, forecast in February that while 9.9 billion people will fly this year, the rate of passenger growth will slow.

“Key challenges such as economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and airline capacity constraints are expected to increasingly shape the industry’s trajectory,” it said.

With Bloomberg inputs