Terminal 2 of Hongkong International Airport serves to enhance the already-seamless experience at T1, writes Julian Tan. ACCESSIBILITY
T2 is adjacent to T1. Travel time between the two terminals is three minutes on foot. T2 is located on the left side of the city-bound Airport Express train, while T1 is on the right. Travel time between Chek Lap Kok and downtown, or Hongkong station in Central which is the last stop on the Airport Express line, is about 24 minutes and round-trip fares start from HK$110 (US$14) for adults and HK$30 (US$4) for children aged three to 11. Public buses are also available. AIRLINES Six airlines currently operate from T2: Oasis Hongkong, Emirates, Bangkok Airways, Jetstar Asia, Siem Reap Airways and THAI Airways International. There are a total of over 85 airlines operating from both terminals. AIRPORT LOUNGES None, they are all in T1. CHECK IN There are 56 passenger check-in counters in T2 with ample space for up to 112 counters, compared with T1’s 288. Immigration and security checks can be done at T2. There are no boarding gates at T2, so passengers have to take a train shuttle to T1 for boarding. All arrivals and departures are at T1. COACH A coach station at T2 provides 36 pick-up bays. Every day the station serves over 6,000 passengers taking hotel shuttles and local and mainland coaches. COST T2 represents a sum of HK$1.75 billion (US$225.7 million). This excludes the cost of facilities like an automated people-mover system connecting both terminals and two office buildings including the Airport Authority headquarters. CUSTOMER SERVICE Help is at hand at the fifth-floor counter in T2. DESIGN Natural lighting, open space and high ceilings give a sense of space. Echoing the three-dimensional “wave” design of T1, the look of T2 features undulating fins on the exterior and ceiling, which create a “floating effect” for people both inside and outside the terminal, according to Airport Authority head of projects Kevin Poole. ENTERTAINMENT The SkyPlaza boasts 35,000sqm of entertainment and leisure options, including over 100 retail shops (mostly located landside), 25 catering outlets, the Aviation Discovery Centre with exhibits and interactive activities, a 360-seat cinema called 4D Extreme Screen, i-Sports which is an interactive sports simulator and Asia Hollywood (where the public can interact with movie stars or partake in activities like manipulating scenes in animation shows and “acting” in movies with scripts). There’s also a salon offering massage services and hair and beauty treatments.FLOOR AREA
T2 has a floor area of 140,000sqm, one-quarter that of T1’s 570,000sqm.INTERNET ACCESS
Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout both T2 and T1.LIFTS
There are 35 public lifts in T2, compared with the 98 in T1. LOCATION The 1,255-hectare HKIA is situated at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island, which is 30km northwest of Hongkong Island. The airport opened in 1998 and handles 800 flights daily. NURSERY ROOMS Mums, dads and babies can take advantage of the seven nursery rooms available in T2. PEOPLE MOVER SYSTEM An automated people-mover system operates at intervals of three to four minutes and shuttles departing passengers who check in at T2 to boarding gates at T1. RUNWAYS Both terminals share the North and South runways, which measure 3,800m long and 60m wide.TAXIS
There is ample signage leading to the taxi stands between T2 and T1 which are found on the north side of the Ground Transportation Centre. Head to the left-hand ramp from the T1 Arrivals Hall.TOILETS
Found in 10 locations at T2. WATER There are 12 drinking fountains located throughout the terminal. WEBSITE www.hongkongairport.com
