Hong Kong mega bridge’s popularity takes toll on helicopter, ferry services: lawmaker

The number of vehicles using a mega bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau hit a record high last year, the South China Morning Post has learned, with a lawmaker saying the boom has taken a heavy toll on ferry services and a long-running helicopter service.

Transport Department figures obtained by the SCMP showed that vehicle flow via the popular Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge reached a record high of 5.21 million last year, up more than 19 per cent from 4.36 million in 2024.

The 2025 figures were the highest in the past five years, following border closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The bridge was opened to traffic in 2018.

Average daily vehicle flow via the bridge in June this year reached 15,408, already surpassing the overall average for 2025.

The bridge’s peak in popularity coincided with helicopter service operator Sky Shuttle’s announcement that it would axe its scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Macau, which had operated since 1990.

Sky Shuttle said the service suspension took into account the coming relocation of Macau Heliport to the new heliport at Macau International Airport Terminal 2. It added that its Macau-Shenzhen route was excluded from this suspension and would operate as a scheduled flight service.

Starting this month, the company said its helicopter services would switch to a charter-only model, operating five days a week.