May 2025 at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) was a calmer step down from the Easter peak in April, but still well ahead of the same month a year earlier. Passenger numbers and flight movements both grew in solid year-on-year terms, while cargo edged up a little. Below are the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) figures for the month, with a bit of colour from the Airport Authority where it helps.
Passenger Traffic: Still Strong Year-on-Year After Easter
According to CAD, HKIA handled 4.836.036 passengers in May 2025, a 19.4% increase on May 2024 (4.049.717). Arrivals were 2.440.257 and departures 2.395.779.
Month-on-month, that is about 6.5% below April 2025’s 5.174.431 passengers — a soft landing after the Easter rush, which is about what you would expect once the holiday peak is over.
The Airport Authority’s rounded headline was about 4.86 million passengers (+19.7% year-on-year). The small gap versus CAD is just rounding and presentation; I use CAD as the precise source here. AAHK said growth was mainly driven by double-digit rises in transfer/transit passengers and visitors, with routes to and from Mainland China and Southeast Asia showing the strongest increases during the month.
On a longer view (AAHK): January–May 2025 came to about 24.64 million passengers (+17.5% year-on-year), and the rolling twelve months to about 56.7 million (+20.1%).
Cargo Handling: Modest Gain, Transshipments Still Helping
CAD recorded 420.043 tonnes of air cargo in May 2025, up 1.5% on May 2024 (413.714 tonnes). Loaded cargo was 310.426 tonnes; unloaded 109.617 tonnes. (CAD’s freight figures exclude air mail.)
Compared with April 2025’s 400.855 tonnes, May was up about 4.8% month-on-month — a rebound after April’s softer cargo total versus March.
AAHK rounded the May total to about 422.000 tonnes (+1.4% year-on-year) and pointed again to Europe and the Middle East as primary cargo growth drivers, with transshipments up 12.7%. Year-to-date cargo (Jan–May) was about 2 million tonnes (+2.7%), and the rolling twelve months about 4.99 million tonnes (+7.8%).
Flight Movements: Steady Climb Year-on-Year
CAD counted 32.478 civil international flight movements at HKIA in May 2025 (16.241 landings and 16.237 take-offs), an 8.8% rise on May 2024’s 29.856.
Month-on-month, movements were about 0.5% below April 2025 (32.655) — essentially flat on the apron versus April, even as passenger numbers eased after Easter.
AAHK’s rounded figure was 32.480 movements (+8.8% year-on-year). Same story as CAD, slight presentation difference. YTD movements (AAHK) were about 161.130 (+11.0%), and the rolling twelve months about 379.295 (+16.8%).
CAD’s monthly workbook does not split May into passenger, cargo and non-revenue movements, and the Airport Authority release gives the total only — so no invented breakdown this time either.
Conclusion
May 2025 looks like a steady month for HKIA after the Easter spike: passengers still nearly 20% ahead of last year, cargo a little higher than May 2024 and recovering month-on-month, and movements up high single digits year-on-year. Mainland China and Southeast Asia routes, plus transfer traffic, were the story AAHK highlighted on the passenger side; Europe and the Middle East again on cargo.
Sources: Civil Aviation Department – Air Traffic Statistics and Airport Authority Hong Kong press release, 16 June 2025.
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