Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has opened a new extension at Terminal 1 that adds 10 gates for narrow-bodied aircraft.
Departure area of the New Satellite Concourse at Terminal 1
The 20,000sqm North Satellite Concourse (NSC) spans two storeys and costs HK$1 billion (US$129 million) to build. The new gates are numbered between 501 and 510, and the waiting area of the concourse houses 10 retail and two catering outlets.
One of the aerobridges rolled out at the New Satellite Concourse
"With the new satellite concourse, less than 10 flights will need to be parked at remote bays every day compared to the current 40 to 50," said Howard Eng, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong. "This means more passengers can embark or disembark their aircraft in a pleasant, weatherproof environment, sparing them the inconvenience of being exposed to hot or rainy weather.”
The new concourse is designed to serve more than five million passengers a year at the initial stage.
Waiting area for the NSC shuttle bus at Terminal 1
Passengers using the new concourse depart as normal, completing their check in, immigration and security procedures before going to a designated area at T1 to board a shuttle bus for the concourse. Arriving passengers, on the other hand, need to take a shuttle bus to T1 to clear customs and immigration, or to catch their connecting flight.
Shuttle buses to and from the NSC will run every four minutes.
HKIA has been undergoing major enhancements to improve airport services. These include the reconfiguration of the Departures Immigration halls to increase airport's security screening capacity by over 40 percent, and the expansion of the transfer area to cater for the continued growth of transit and transfer passengers.
HKIA also intends to complete the upgrade of its baggage handling system and consolidate the two Arrivals Immigration halls into one single, spacious area in the near future. The entire enhancement programme will be concluded by 2011.
Meanwhile, HKIA is also studying a mid-field expansion project that would provide additional aircraft stands, related apron facilities and another passenger concourse to handle anticipated traffic demand up to the year 2020. The preliminary study will be completed next year.
For more information, go to www.hongkongairport.com
Gigi Onag
