"Due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, all passenger segments experienced significant growth, particularly Hong Kong residents, compared to the same month last year," the authority said.

Total flight movements last month - including passenger, cargo and non-revenue flights - almost doubled compared with February the year before, with a 95.7 percent increase, equivalent to 16,305 flights. Cargo volume handled last month increased by 6.7 percent to 290,000 tonnes compared to February 2022.

Cargo volume - including imports, exports and trans-shipments - continued to have limited growth, due to global economic uncertainties, the authority said.

On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume increased by around six times to 9.7 million compared to the previous year, while flight movements increased 3.9 percent to 150,895 flights.

"Flight movements and passenger volume have been going up as flights on more routes continued to resume in recent months," the spokesman said, adding that direct flights between HKIA and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport resumed yesterday, with three daily flights to Hongqiao initially.

Hongqiao Airport had suspended all international inbound and outbound flights since March 2020 for epidemic control.

British Airways also began operating two extra flights between London and Hong Kong last night, just in time for the Easter holidays.

Meanwhile, 10 "Hong Kong superfans" including two mainland influencers have been invited to the city by the Tourism Board.

The fans will stay in Hong Kong for five days and four nights for the Art Basel and Art Central exhibitions, and visit the M+ museum and Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Influencer "Anjiu," from Beijing, said young mainlanders love Hong Kong for its prosperity and fashion, as well as its cafes, lively bars and scenic hiking trails.