Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) saw another month of cargo growth in April, supported by a rise in transhipment despite the ongoing trade shifts, though volumes were lower compared to March.

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) announced the April 2025 air traffic figures for HKIA, which was named the world's busiest cargo hub in 2024, was up 2.6% year-on-year to 404,000 tonnes.

It noted that the growth in cargo throughput was underpinned by a 13.9% increase in transhipment.

"Traffic to/ from Europe and the Middle East continued to be the primary growth drivers, increasing the most significantly for the period," AAHK said.

Month-on-month, however, April's air cargo volumes were lower than the 449,000 tonnes recorded in March.

 [Source: AAHK]

For the first four months of the year, cargo traffic experienced year-on-year growth of 3.0% to 1.57 million tonnes, and flight movements increased by 11.6% to 128,650.

On a 12-month rolling basis, AAHK said cargo throughput grew by 9.3% to 4.98 million tonnes and flight movements increased by 18.8% to 376,670. 

Meanwhile, a number of airlines added new flight routes, further expanding HKIA’s connectivity. 

During the month, Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Vietnam Airlines launched new flight routes to Dallas in the US, Komatsu and Ishigaki in Japan, and Nha Trang in Vietnam, respectively.