Hong Kong Leads Global Cargo Airports as 2025 Volume Reaches 131.2 Million Tonnes

Global air cargo volume reached 131.2 million tonnes in 2025, according to figures attributed to Airports Council International (ACI) World. Hong Kong International Airport led the airport rankings, followed by Shanghai Pudong and Ted Stevens Anchorage International.

Key details

• The 20 leading cargo airports handled 53.1 million tonnes combined, close to 41% of global air cargo volume.
• Shanghai Pudong ranked second with 4.1 million tonnes, up 8.3% year over year.
• Anchorage ranked third with 3.9 million tonnes, a 4.2% increase. Transit freight makes up approximately 70–80% of its reported cargo, and ACI’s ranking data includes that freight.
• Louisville ranked fourth with 3.4 million tonnes, while Miami ranked fifth with 3.1 million tonnes; both recorded growth above 13% year over year.
• ACI World figures cited in the report show international freight rose 4.2% in 2025, while domestic freight fell 1.8%.
• Hong Kong’s Air-Land Fresh Lane began operating in September 2025, routing certain imported chilled and live products through the airport to the Greater Bay Area.
• PACTL expanded and upgraded its cross-border e-commerce handling center at Shanghai Pudong to about 4,170 square meters, doubling its previous daily handling capacity.

Hong Kong International Airport handled 5.1 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up 2.7% year over year.

Why it matters

The leading 20 airports handled close to 41% of worldwide air cargo, concentrating a large share of freight activity at a relatively small group of hubs. The figures also show different growth patterns across markets: international freight increased while domestic freight declined.