Hong Kong Airport Leads Global Seat Growth for Summer 2025

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is set to record the world’s largest increase in departing seat capacity this summer, with nearly 22.3 million seats scheduled—up 13.6% from summer 2024, or an additional 2.67 million seats. The surge is fueled by airline network recovery, new long-haul connections, and expanded operational capabilities from the launch of the airport’s Three-Runway System (3RS).

Cathay Pacific is leading the charge with new and resumed services to cities like Dallas-Fort Worth, Munich, and Rome. HKG is now linked to 149 global destinations, up from 131 last summer. While Taipei, Bangkok, and Manila remain the busiest routes by volume, the largest year-over-year growth comes from Phu Quoc (+264,000 seats), Los Angeles (+230,000), and Hangzhou (+215,000).

HKG’s runway expansion, operational since November 2024, now enables all three runways to be used simultaneously. The 3RS system is expected to increase peak hourly movements from 60–70 to 75 by the end of 2025 and eventually support 102 movements per hour.

Globally, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen ranks second in seat growth (+2.37 million), followed by Chicago O’Hare (+2.29 million). Kuala Lumpur and Porto Alegre also saw strong gains, with the latter rebounding after last year’s flooding.

In percentage growth, Moldova’s Chișinău International Airport leads among airports with over 1 million scheduled seats, posting a 59.3% increase. Growth at Chișinău is driven by Wizz Air, FlyOne, and SkyUp, while airports in Phu Quoc and Krabi also saw significant year-on-year growth.

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