Hong Kong Airport. Photo: Travelpixs/ shutterstock
Hong Kong International (HKG) remained the world's top cargo airport in 2024, while Shanghai (PVG) moved into second place and Memphis (MEM) dropped to third place.
This is according to the 2025 edition of ACI (Airports Council International) World's World Airport Traffic Dataset, which revealed cargo volumes at HKG climbed 14.1% year on year.
As well as robust cargo investments and infrastructure, HKG moved to a three-runway operation at the end of last year, giving it the potential to move 10m tons annually.
PVG, which had been in third place in 2023, moved into second place in 2024 after its cargo volumes increased 9.8% year on year.
Meanwhile, MEM dropped to third place alongside a 3.3% drop in volumes.
Dubai (DXB) jumped from 17th to 11th place in the rankings, with a 20.5% rise in volumes compared to 2023.
Another climber was Singapore (SIN), which moved from 18th position to 14th following 14.1% growth.
Cincinnati (CVG) faced the biggest drop in the rankings, moving from 14th place in 2023 to 20th place in 2024. The airport experienced a volume drop of 10.8%.
ACI said air cargo rebounded in 2024, with close to 127m metric tonnes handled — up 9.9% year on year. The top 20 cargo hubs moved 52.2m tonnes, up 9% from 2023 and 10.8% above pre-pandemic levels.
Key drivers of growth included maritime route volatility, which led shippers to seek more reliable and faster alternatives via air; e-commerce acceleration, driven by consumer demand for faster fulfilment across borders; and falling jet fuel costs, which lowered operating expenses and improved air freight competitiveness, stated ACI.
ACI World director general Justin Erbacci said: “These rankings reflect the scale of global aviation and the resilience of the industry that continues to grow, despite the complex global environment."
