Hong Kong airport ranks fourth for passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific region, city urged to find ‘tourism niche’
- City’s airport comes fourth behind first-placed Singapore, Incheon in South Korea and Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok
- Analysts say city must ‘find its niche’ to attract tourists back amid national economic slowdown if it wants airport to regain No 1 status
Hong Kong’s airport ranked fourth-busiest for international passengers in the Asia-Pacific region last year, and analysts have urged the city to “find its niche” if it hopes to attract more people back and regain its former pole position as the nation grapples with an economic slowdown.
Figures compiled by Singaporean consulting firm Sobie Aviation showed the city’s Changi Airport claimed the top spot in the ranking for 2023, with 58.9 million passengers passing through, 86 per cent of the figure recorded in 2019 before the pandemic hit and upended the global travel industry.
Seoul’s Incheon airport took second place with 55.8 million passengers, 79 per cent of its 2019 level.
Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok was third with 40 million passengers, 75 per cent of what was recorded pre-pandemic. Hong Kong ended last year with 39.5 million passengers through the airport, 55 per cent of 2019 levels.
