HKIA busiest cargo airport for 15th time, 5.1 million tonnes

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) becomes the world's busiest cargo airport for the 15th time since 2010, after handling 5.1 million tonnes of cargo and airmail in the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026, up 2.7% year-on-year, according to the Annual Report 2025/26 released by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).

The growth came despite ongoing geopolitical trade tension, reinforcing what AAHK describes as Hong Kong's "pole position" as the world's undisputed air cargo hub. Aircraft movements at HKIA rose 7.1% to 399,450 during the year, providing the broader capacity backdrop for the cargo increase.

The five-year cargo and airmail trend shows a steady recovery and climb since the pandemic trough: 4.9 million tonnes in FY2021/22, dropping to 4.1 million tonnes the following year, before rising through 4.5 million, 5 million and now 5.1 million tonnes in FY2025/26.

Passenger traffic increased by a double-digit 14.7% year on year to 63 million. AAHK delivered a sound financial performance in 2025/26, recording a post-tax profit of HK$2,043 million. The board declared a dividend of HK$500 million payable to the Hong Kong SAR Government.

Cargo throughout by market
For the year ended 31 March 2026, Europe was HKIA's largest cargo market, accounting for 19% of throughput (airmail excluded). Southeast Asia and USA & Canada followed closely, each contributing 15%.

Among the remaining markets, Chinese Mainland accounted for 8% of cargo throughput, while Japan and Taiwan each held 7%. Australasia was the smallest single market at 3%. All other markets combined made up 26% of total throughput, the largest single category after Europe, reflecting the breadth and diversity of HKIA's global cargo network.

Together, Europe, Southeast Asia and USA & Canada made up nearly half (49%) of HKIA's cargo throughput by market during the fiscal year, underscoring the airport's continued strength on long-haul, high-value trade lanes even as it maintains meaningful volumes across a wide spread of regional and mainland Chinese markets.

Dongguan Logistics Park drives cross-boundary growth
A central pillar of HKIA's cargo strategy during the year was the continued build-out of the HKIA Dongguan Logistics Park (HKIALP), which enables security screening, palletisation and acceptance of export cargo from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to be completed in Dongguan before shipment directly to HKIA's airside by sea for onward transhipment overseas. The model also works in reverse, allowing international shipments to enter the Chinese mainland via HKIA and HKIALP.

By 2025/26, HKIALP hosted 30 airlines and 144 Hong Kong agents, an increase of eight airlines and 19 agents over the prior year. Both cargo tonnage and value climbed by over 90% year-on-year. The intermodal model reduces operating costs by about 50% and handling time by about one-third compared with traditional arrangements, AAHK said. Phase 1 of the permanent facility, with an annual handling capacity of 1 million tonnes, is on track to be fully operational in 2027.

The park's service scope also widened during the year. Trial imports of fruit were completed in February 2026, followed by regular shipments of chilled seafood in March, extending HKIALP's reach into high-value, perishable cargo. Separately, a sea-air intermodal pilot scheme with the Dongguan Municipal People's Government continued to progress, helping HKIA better serve major GBA manufacturing bases.

Air-Land Fresh Lane speeds perishables into the mainland
HKIA also launched the Air-Land Fresh Lane in September 2025, following an April 2025 trial. Developed with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Guangdong provincial governments, the service streamlines transhipment of fruit, chilled goods and live seafood into the GBA via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), enabling cargo to clear Chinese mainland customs in Zhuhai in as little as three hours after arrival at HKIA.

Capacity expansion underway
Several major cargo infrastructure projects are in the pipeline. A new United Parcel Service (UPS) cargo hub, targeted for completion in 2028, will add nearly one million tonnes of annual capacity and reinforce HKIA's position as a leading air cargo and e-commerce fulfilment hub. An airside intermodal cargo pier and transhipment handling facility is due to be completed in phases from 2026/27, improving efficiency for both sea-air and air-air cargo flows. The airport’s Precious Metals Depository is also expanding storage capacity to 1,000 tonnes by 2028.

Longer term, HKIA's Three-Runway System, the airport's largest expansion project to date, will lift annual capacity to 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo.

Digitalisation and trade finance
On the digital front, the import module of the HKIA Cargo Data Platform was rolled out across all three cargo terminals during the year, enabling end-to-end digital processing of import shipments. HKIA also launched HKIA Cargo Connect in June 2025. This is described as the world's first airport-led digital platform for airline partnerships and it promises to improve visibility on flight schedules, connection times and operational requirements.

AAHK further developed two new trade finance use cases during the year in collaboration with cargo agents, traders, and banking and financial institutions, building on its engagement with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Commercial Data Interchange initiative. AAHK also joined the HKMA's expert panel on Project CargoX.

Mainland investments show mixed cargo performance
AAHK's Mainland China airport investments delivered mixed cargo results in calendar 2025. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HXIA) posted cargo throughput growth of 7.9% to 793,000 tonnes, helping narrow AAHK's share of HXIA's loss to HK$133 million. At Zhuhai Airport, cargo throughput grew 15.5% to 40,000 tonnes, though AAHK's share of profit there fell 17.5% to HK$33 million on higher operating expenses.

Strategic positioning
AAHK said cargo operations remained a critical pillar of HKIA's strategic value, particularly in supporting Hong Kong's trade and economic development, with the busiest-cargo-airport title reflecting the depth and resilience of its cargo ecosystem. This is underpinned by sustained investment in technology, data-driven collaboration and intermodal connectivity. HKIA continues to serve as a cargo gateway for the GBA, handling about three-quarters of the region's international air cargo, and positions itself as a key contributor to the Belt and Road initiative as China's leading hub for international passenger and cargo traffic.