Hong Kong International Airport splashes out HK$5 billion on a new midfield... concourse
Part of cost to come from revenue from concourse now fully on stream
An extra HK$5 billion will be spent on parking stands for planes at Hong Kong International Airport over the next four years – boosting the capacity of one of the world’s busiest flight hubs ahead of further expansion with the construction of a new third runway.
A portion of the extra outlay will be recouped by revenue from the 30,000 passengers a day who will pass through the concourse which sits between the airport’s two runways and houses more than 20 shops and restaurants.
Airport chiefs predict traffic will continue to rise at the airport requiring yet another concourse – which differs from a terminal in that it has no immigration clearance area – to be built to handle traffic from the soon to be built third runway.
The 105,500 square metre plane-parking and passenger facility – known as the midfield concourse – came fully on stream yesterday after taking its first passengers in December last year.
Airport Authority chief executive, Fred Lam Tin-fuk, said the additional stands would improve efficiency but did not negate the need for a third runway to cope with 21st century air travel. In 2015, the airport – which is built on reclaimed land and opened for business in 1998 – handled more than 68 million passengers, up from 63 million in 2014 and 60 million in 2013.
Lam said: “The extra stand will not increase the number of departures and arrivals the airport can handle because that depends on the runway system.
“The two runways will reach maximum capacity by the end of this year. That is something that will limit the development of the airport.”
At present, the concourse – which will cost a total of HK$15 billion – has 20 aircraft stands and handles 230 flights a day from 30 airlines. It is expected to handle 10 million passengers a year but Lam said it was equipped to handle double that.
It takes three and a half minutes to get from it to Terminal One on an automated people mover. HK$141.5 billion is expected to be spent on the third runway which is due for completion in 2023.
To fund the project, every traveller flying out of the airport, including transit or transfer passengers, will pay an extra charge of between HK$70 and HK$180, depending on the flight distance as well as the class of their ticket.
Authority chairman, Jack So Chak-kwong, pledged to work to restore public confidence in the ability of Hong Kong to complete a major infrastructure project on time and within budget.
“I have adhered to the principle of no budget overrun and no delay in the past. I hope infrastructure projects in the future will also adhere to this principle,” said So.
