Hong Kong Airport, the best in the world in 2025 in terms of immigration services
More than 363,000 flights, with 53 million passengers, corresponding to 120 international airlines and flying to more than 220 destinations. These are the figures recorded by Hong Kong International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, in 2024.
- Leader for the fifth time
- Number of visitors to grow in 2025
- Hong Kong, a magnet for international talent
And the most striking thing: an average waiting time of just 15 minutes for 95% of visitors and 98% of residents. Without doubt, these are outstanding figures that highlight the good performance of the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which have earned it the distinction of best immigration service according to the traveller satisfaction survey carried out annually by the international consultancy Skytrax.
Leader for the fifth time
This is the fifth time, after 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020, that the Hong Kong Immigration Department has topped this ranking, in which 575 airports from all over the world take part and more than 13 million passengers of a hundred nationalities have voted.
For the occasion, the Chinese Embassy in Madrid was the venue for an appearance before the Spanish press by the director of the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Benson Kwok Joon-fung.
In Kwok's words, “we feel very honored to stand out among over 575 airports worldwide and achieve the highest scores based con the survey questionnaires on airport services collected from more than 13 million air passengers of more than 100 nationalities. As one of the busiest airports in the world, the Hong Kong International Airport handled over 53 million passengers in 2024. DEspite facing voluminous travelers, the Immigration Department remains able to acccomplish remarkable results. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my staff for their proffesionalism and dedication”.
Number of visitors to grow in 2025
The figures provided by the head of the Hong Kong Immigration Department show the scale of annual transit through the airport and the growing appeal of the Special Administrative Region to international visitors: “In the first two months of this year, Hong Kong recorded a total of 8.4 million visitor arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 7 %. There were over 1.91 million overseas visitors arriving in Hong Kong in January and February this year, marking a 20 % increase year-on-year”, said the director.
To deal with the increase in the number of passengers passing through Hong Kong International Airport each year, the Immigration Department has had to implement a range of measures, including flexible deployment of staff, optimisation of workflows and the effective use of information and technology.
“The Hong Kong Immigration Department will continue to expand the automated immigration clearance services to different categories of travelers, so as to allow more visitors to enjoy convenient and efficient immigration services, thereby boosting Hong Kong’s overall economy”, said Kwok.
Hong Kong, a magnet for international talent
Apart from airport services, the head of Hong Kong's Immigration Department highlighted the region's policy of attracting international talent. Ranked ninth in the World Talent Ranking 2024, compiled by the Swiss International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong is a metropolis with enormous international appeal. It enjoys a mix of Eastern and Western cultures and is located at a strategic point in the heart of Asia.
“Hong Kong has business-friendly policies, low and simple taxes, top-notch international talent, a robust legal system and close connectivity to the rest of the world by air and sea”, the director of the Department of Immigration emphasised.
Along these lines, Kwok explained the various talent admission programmes they have in place, which are key to the region's economic development, diversification and long-term competitiveness.
Thus, international professionals from various sectors can apply for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme to settle in Hong Kong. And the Top Talent Pass Scheme is available to high-income, talented and experienced entrepreneurs. There are also other programmes for graduates who have studied in Hong Kong and want to start their professional careers there.
Since the implementation of these programmes and up to the end of last February, more than 290,000 applications for residence have been approved, to which must be added those of the family members of these workers, another 180,000 people.
“These outstanding talent and their families can enrich the local talent pool and contribute to the economy of Hong Kong”, concluded the director of the Department of Immigration.
