Tip leakage loss reduction is important for improving the turbine aerodynamic performance. In this paper, the flow field of a transonic high pressure turbine stage with a squealer tip is numerically investigated. The physical mechanism of flow structures inside the cavity that control leakage loss is presented, which is obtained by analyzing the evolution of the flow structures and its influence on the leakage flow rate and momentum at the gap outlet. The impacts of the aerodynamic conditions and geometric parameters, such as blade loading distributions in the tip region, squealer heights, and gap heights, on leakage loss reduction are also discussed. The results show that the scraping vortex generated inside the cavity is the dominant flow structure affecting turbine aerodynamic performance. An aero-labyrinth liked sealing effect is formed by the scraping vortex, which increases the energy dissipation of the leakage flow inside the gap and reduces the equivalent flow area at the gap outlet. The discharge coefficient of the squealer tip is therefore decreased, and the tip leakage loss is reduced accordingly. Variations in the blade loading distribution in the tip region and the squealer geometry change the scraping vortex characteristics, such as the size, intensity, and its position inside the cavity, resulting in a different controlling effect on leakage loss. By reasonable blade tip loading distribution and squealer tip geometry for organizing scraping vortex characteristics, the squealer tip can improve the turbine aerodynamic performance effectively. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.