Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is set to get a HK$7 billion (US$897 million) upgrade of its facilities ahead of the opening of its third runway in 2024, according to a report by The South China Morning Post.
The Hong Kong Airport Authority’s investment will see enhancements made to the existing Terminal 1, notably a new 17,000 sqm annex building outfitted with more than 40 additional check-in and self-service bag-drop facilities. Terminal 1 will also be expanded, with a Sky Bridge planned to connect the terminal with the north satellite concourse.
Existing plans to add 33 aircraft parking stands at Terminal 1 will also be completed. Meanwhile, new dining and retail options will be made available at the airport’s East Hall.
These developments come on top of the upcoming Skycity integrated complex near Terminal 2, announced last October and with the first phase due to open in 2020.
According to the Airport Authority’s executive director for corporate development, Wilson Fung Wing-yip, the authority is heavily promoting the use of public rather than private transport into and out of the airport. This is despite the fact that development of a new 12-storey, multifunctional building that will offer 1,400 parking spaces next to the Car Park 4 site is also scheduled for completion by 2019.
From a traveller perspective, this emphasis away from private transportation will see them hit with significant fee increases for long-stay parking. Starting June 15 this year, hourly parking is set to rise between 9 and 11 per cent, while three-day parking will jump 57 per cent, and the authority is not ruling out the possibility of these rising even further in future.
Travellers using public transport also look likely to be hit with price hikes of their own. In April, The MTR Corporation proposed an increase to fares on the Airport Express rail link by about 10.3 per cent as early as this month.
Passenger traffic at HKIA is expected to rise by more than 100 million by 2030, notably as a result of the new third runway as well as the expected completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge this year and the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok underwater tunnel in 2018.
The upcoming developments at HKIA follow a similar trend throughout Asia-Pacific, with South Korea, mainland China, and Singapore all seeing expansions and enhancements to their airports, along with entirely new airports. Meanwhile last week, Singapore’s Changi Airport unveiled a new Canopy Park attraction as part of its upcoming Jewel development, set to open in 2019.
