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Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) (; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 gwok3 zai3 gei1 coeng4; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Guójì Jīchǎng) is the principal airport serving Hong Kong. It is also known locally as Chek Lap Kok Airport (赤鱲角機場; cek3 laap6 gok3 gei1 coeng4; Chìliè Jiǎo Jīchǎng).

HKIA is located on the island of Chek Lap Kok, just off the north shore of Lantau Island. It opened for commercial operations in 1998 and is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in mainland China, East and Southeast Asia. Despite its relatively short history, the airport has already won several international "Best Airport" awards.

The airport operates around-the-clock and is capable of handling 45 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo a year. It is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, along with several other smaller airlines, including Hong Kong Express, CR Airways and Oasis Hong Kong Airlines.

History

The airport was built on a largely artificial island reclaimed from Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau. The two former islands that were levelled comprise about 25% of the surface area of the airport's 12.48 km² platform. It is connected to the northern side of Lantau Island near the historic village of Tung Chung, now expanded into a new town. Land reclamation for the airport added nearly 1% to the entirety of Hong Kong's surface area. It replaced the former Hong Kong International Airport (popularly known by its former name Kai Tak Airport), which was located in the Kowloon City area with a single runway extending into Kowloon Bay close to the urban built-up areas.

Construction of the new airport was only part of the Airport Core Programme, which also involved construction of new road and rail links to the airport, with associated bridges and tunnels, and major land reclamation projects on both Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. The project is the most expensive airport project, according to Guinness World Records. Construction of the new airport was voted as one of the Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century at the ConExpo conference in 1999.CONEXPO-CON/AGG '99 (1999). Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century. ISBN 0-9530219-5-5. Retrieved November 10, 2005.

Opened in 6 July 1998, it took six years and US $20 billion to build. The architects were Foster and Partners. For three to five months after its opening, it suffered various severe organizational, mechanical, and technical problems that almost crippled the airport. At one time, the government reopened the cargo terminal at Kai Tak Airport to handle freight traffic due to a breakdown at the new cargo terminal, named Super Terminal One (ST1). Luckily, things started to settle down after six months and the airport started to operate normally.

Operations

Statistics
2005
Number of Passengers 40,053,819
Number of Takeoffs/Landing 210,112
Capacity
Passenger (current) 45,000,000
Passenger (ultimate) 87,000,000
Cargo (current) 3m tonnes
Cargo (ultimate) 9m tonnes
Apron (current) 96
Number of destinations
International (air) 130
International (water) 6

The airport is operated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, a statutory body wholly owned by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is responsible for the provision of air traffic control services, certification of Hong Kong registered aircraft, monitoring of airlines on their compliance with bilateral Air Services Agreements, and the regulation of general civil aviation activities.

The airport has two parallel runways, both of which are 3800 metres in length and 60 metres wide, enabling them to cater to the next generation of aircraft. The south runway has been given a Category II Precision Approach, while the north runway has the higher Category IIIA rating, which allows pilots to land in only 200 metre visibility. The two runways have an ultimate capacity of over 60 aircraft movements an hour. At present there are 49 frontal stands, 28 remote stands and 25 cargo stands. Five parking bays at the Northwest Concourse are already capable of accommodating the arrivals of the next generation of aircraft.

The airport is the third busiest airport for passenger traffic in Asia in 2005, and the world's second busiest airport for cargo traffic in 2003. In terms of international traffic, the airport is the third busiest for passenger traffic and the busiest for cargo since its operation in 1998. There are some 80 international airlines providing about 750 scheduled passenger and all-cargo flights each day between Hong Kong and some 140 destinations worldwide. About 76 percent of these flights are operated with wide-bodied jets. There are also an average of approximately 31 non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights each week.

The airport is popular with travellers; and has been voted as the world's best airport for five consecutive years, from 2001 to 2005, in the annual passenger surveys conducted with several million passengers worldwide by Skytrax However, in 2006, they became runners-up, losing the 1st spot to regional rival Singapore Changi Airport. *. In 2000, the airport also won an award as 'Asia/Pacific's leading airport' at the 7th World Travel Awards.

HKFIR Radio Frequencies

133.70 118.20 (North Runway) 122.50* (South) 128.125
Name Main Frequency Secondary Frequency Emergency Frequency
Hong Kong Approach: 119.10* 119.35
Hong Kong Departure: 123.80* 124.05
Hong Kong Precision: 119.50 121.50*
Hong Kong Tower: 118.40* (South Runway) 118.70 121.50*
Hong Kong Ground: 121.60* (North)
Zone Control: 120.60*
Hong Kong Delivery: 129.90 124.65
Hong Kong Radar (E): 121.30* 118.925
Hong Kong Radar (S): 128.75* 132.15
Hong Kong Radar (W): 127.10* 123.70
Hong Kong Radar (E): 126.50* 132.80
Hong Kong Radar (S): 126.30* 132.60
Macau High: 134.30* 127.55
Macau Low: 123.95*
Macau Tower: 118.00* 121.50
Macau Ground: 121.725* 121.975 121.50

(* = 24 hours operation)

Passenger facilities

The airport is one of the most accessible in operation today. Despite its size, the passenger terminal is designed for maximum convenience. A simple layout and effective signage, moving walkways and the automated people mover allow quick and easy movement throughout the building. Facilities for the disabled are in place to meet world requirements. The airport is also served by a complete transport system which was operational from the very beginning. The fully integrated ground transportation centre was designed together with the passenger terminal. It provides immediate access to and from the airport express train as well as other public transport services such as buses, coaches, hotel limousines and taxis. According to its website, the passenger terminal of the HKIA is the world's largest airport terminal building, with a covered area of 570,000 m2(it was 550,000 m2 before the expansion of the East Hall). The airport also has a large number of restaurants and shops, catering to the different needs of passengers. It is largely a non-smoking area, apart from designated smoking rooms. Even the lavatories are probably one of the world's cleanest, best maintained and most pleasant public lavatories in the world.

The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (BAC) is located within the confines of the airport and has its own terminal and facilities separate from the public terminal. It provides a full range of services for executive aircraft and passengers, including passenger lounge, private rooms and showers, business centre facilities, ground handling, baggage handling, fuelling, security, customs and flight planning. Designated spaces and hangarage are also provided at the BAC for private aircraft.

Baggage and Ramp Handling

Ramp handling services are provided by Hong Kong Airport Services Limited (HAS), Jardine Air Terminal Services Limited, and Menzies Aviation Group (Hong Kong) Limited. Their services include the handling of mail and passenger baggage, transportation of cargo, aerobridge operations and the operation of passenger stairways. The airport has an advanced baggage handling system (BHS), the main section of which is located in the basement level of the passenger terminal, and a separate remote transfer facility at the western end of the main concourse for handling of tight connection transfer bags. The BHS processes departure, arrival and transfer bags and utilises a conveyor that is more than 24 kilometres long. Bar coding scanners read the standard International Air Transport Association (IATA) baggage labels and route bags to their destinations. The majority of the arrival bags are conveyed to 12 reclaim carousels within four minutes from off-loading or 20 minutes from aircraft landing.

Air cargo

HKIA is capable of handling three million tonnes of cargo annually. Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited operates one of the two air cargo terminals at the airport. Its headquarters, the 270,000 m2 SuperTerminal 1, is the world’s largest stand-alone air cargo handling facility, with a designed capacity of 2.6 million tonnes of freight a year. The second air cargo terminal is operated by Asia Airfreight Terminal Company Limited, and currently has a capacity of 0.4 million tonnes a year. It is envisaged that HKIA’s total air cargo capacity per annum will reach nine million tonnes ultimately.

Aircraft maintenance services

Both line and base maintenance services are undertaken by Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO), while China Aircraft Services Limited and Pan Asia Pacific Aviation Services Limited carry out line maintenance. Line maintenance services include routine servicing of aircraft performed during normal turnaround periods and regularly scheduled layover periods. Base maintenance covers all airframe maintenance services and, for this, HAECO has a three-bay hangar, which can accommodate up to three Boeing B747-400 aircraft and two Airbus A320 aircraft, and an adjoining support workshop.

Airport based ground services

The Air Traffic Control Complex (ATCX), located at the centre of the airfield, is the nerve centre of the entire air traffic control system. Some 370 air traffic controllers and supporting staff work around the clock to provide air traffic control services for the safe and efficient flow of aircraft movements within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR). At the Air Traffic Control Tower, controllers provide 24-hour aerodrome control services to aircraft operating at the airport. A Backup Air Traffic Control Centre/Tower constructed to the north of the ATCX is available for operational use in the event normal services provided in the ATCX are disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Apart from serving as an operational backup, the facilities are also used for air traffic control training.

To comply with the Global Implementation Plan, the Civil Aviation Department plans to introduce satellite based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems to enhance flight safety and efficiency as well as to maintain Hong Kong’s status as a centre of international and regional aviation. The project will take 15 years and owing to the complexities involved, extensive studies and trials are being conducted before the new technologies are to be fully adopted. Currently, some of new services, including Digital-Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS), Digital-Meteorological Information for Aircraft in Flight (D-VOLMET) and delivery of Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) over data links, are provided at HKIA to enhance the operational efficiency of both pilots and air traffic controllers.

The Airport Meteorological Office (AMO) of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) provides weather services for the aviation community in accordance with the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The AMO makes routine and special weather observations and provides fixed-time aerodrome forecasts and landing forecasts for the HKIA. It issues aerodrome warnings on adverse weather for protection of aerodrome facilities and aircraft on the ground. It also issues significant weather information on thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, turbulence, icing, and other hazardous weather which may affect aviation safety in the area within which Hong Kong is responsible for the provision of air traffic services. To enhance the safety of aircraft landing and taking off from HKIA, the AMO issues alerts of low-level windshear and turbulence. For service delivery, the HKO operates a web-based information service through which airline companies can retrieve the latest meteorological information and flight documentation, including weather forecasts for departure, destination and alternate aerodromes, forecast charts of en-route significant weather, wind and temperature data, as well as weather radar and satellite images.

Rescue and fire fighting services within the airport are covered by the Airport Fire Contingent of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. The contingent has a strength of 282 uniformed members, operating two fire stations and two rescue berths for 24-hour emergency calls. It is equipped with 14 fire appliances which can respond to incidents within two minutes in optimum conditions of visibility and surface conditions, satisfying the relevant recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Two high capacity rescue boats, supported by eight speed boats, form the core of sea rescue operations.

Happenings

Recent developments

Airport business is the management of flow: the flow of passengers, cargo and information. To sustain the growth of flows, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) formulated a “push and pull through” strategy to expand its connections to new sources of passengers and cargo. This means adapting the network to the rapidly-growing markets in Mainland China and in particular to the Pearl River Delta region (PRD). 2003 marked a major improvement in connection to the PRD region: the opening of a new Airport-Mainland Coach Station as well as the SkyPier airport ferry terminal. The coach station features a 230 m2 waiting lounge and sheltered bays for ten coaches. The dedicated coach terminal provides a comfortable environment for passengers travelling between HKIA and different cities in PRD. Some 100 buses are operating per day to transport passengers between HKIA and some 18 destinations in PRD. HKIA’s network to the Mainland is also further strengthened by the opening of SkyPier in late September 2003, offering millions in the PRD direct access to the airport. Passengers coming to SkyPier by high-speed ferries will board bonded buses for onward flights while arriving air passengers can board ferries at the pier for their journeys back to PRD. Passengers travelling both directions can bypass custom and immigration formalities, which halves the current four hour transit time. Four ports – Shekou, Shenzhen, Macau and Humen (Dongguan) – were initially served, extending to Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Zhongshan at the end of 2003. The provision of crossboundary coach and ferry services has transformed HKIA into a truly inter-modal transportation hub combining air, sea and land transport. These are also significant steps forward in AA’s integration with the Mainland Chinese market.

Accidents and incidents

At the airport
On 22 August 1999, China Airlines Flight 642 (operated by China Airlines' subsidiary Mandarin Airlines), which was landing in Typhoon Sam at Hong Kong International Airport on a route from Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok to Hong Kong, rolled over and caught fire, coming to rest upside down beside the runway. Thanks to the extremely prompt and effective attendance of the Airport Fire Services, 312 of the 315 people on board survived.

En-route
On 25 May 2002, China Airlines Flight 611 broke up in midflight on the way to Hong Kong International Airport from Chiang Kai Shek International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan. All 19 crew members and 206 passengers on board perished.

Airport based flying operations

Several airlines are based at Hong Kong International Airport:

Recreational flying in Hong Kong is catered for by the Hong Kong Aviation Club, which undertakes flying training for private pilots and provides facilities for private owners.

The Government Flying Service provides short and long range search and rescue services, police support, medical evacuation and general purpose flights for the Government.

Ground Transport

Rail

The airport can be reached by the Airport Express, a dedicated high-speed rail link provided by the MTR. It takes 24 minutes to reach the airport from the central Hong Kong station, via Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations. Airport Express passengers may check-in for their flights up to a day before their departure, depending on the airline they are travelling with. Check-in counters are available at both the Hong Kong and Kowloon stations on the Airport Express Line.

Passengers may also take the 1-minute journey to AsiaWorld-Expo, which is located also in Chek Lap Kok. This portion of the Airport Express was opened from 20 Dec 2005.

Bus to Passenger Terminal

Long Win Bus ("Airbus")
Routes available at Airport Ground Transportation Centre

Routes available at Cheong Tat Road

Citybus (including Cityflyer services)
Routes available at Airport Ground Transportation Centre

Routes available at Cheong Tat Road

Discovery Bay Transit Services Limited

New Lantao Bus

Bus to supporting areas

Long Win Bus ("Airbus")

All "E" routes departing from/to the Airport have stops in some parts of the supporting areas, e.g. Super Terminal One, Airport Freight Forwarding Centre, Asia Airfreight Terminal etc.

Citybus
  • S52 - Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung to Aircraft Maintenance Area
  • S52P - Circular route: Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung to Chun Ping Road (Asia Airfreight Terminal)

All "E" routes departing from/to the Airport have stops in some parts of the supporting areas, e.g. Airport Freight Forwarding Centre, Asia Airfreight Terminal etc.

Bus to AsiaWorld-Expo

Coach

Coach service is available to major cities and towns in Guangdong, and to Macao.

Ferry

Direct ferry services are available from the airport to various destinations throughout the Pearl River Delta. Passengers using these services are treated as transit passengers and are not considered to have entered Hong Kong for immigration purposes. Check-in services are available at these piers.

Taxis

The airport is served by three different sorts of taxi, distinguished by their colour:

  • Urban taxis (red) connect the Airport with Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and parts of the new towns of Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O. (Urban taxis can reach entire Hong Kong except southern Lantau Island).
  • New Territories taxis (green) connect the airport with the New Territories, excepting those parts of the Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O served by urban taxis.
  • Lantau taxis (blue) connect the airport with the rest of Lantau Island.

For more information, see the article Taxis of Hong Kong.

Passenger Airlines and destinations

Airline check-in at HKIA is divided into nine aisles as passengers enter the airport.

Previous Users

New Airlines in 2006

Destinations

The operation of scheduled air services to and from Hong Kong is facilitated by air services agreements between Hong Kong and other countries. Since the opening of HKIA, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has implemented a policy of progressive liberalisation of air services with the intention of promoting consumer choice and competition.

Past Passenger Destinations

The following destinations were served from HKIA, but not being served any more by airlines: (Note that this list does not include the destinations that are dropped by some airlines but continued to be served by other airlines from HKIA)

Destination Airline
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Gulf Air
Anchorage, AK, United States Delta Air Lines
Chennai, India Air India
Chiangmai, Thailand Thai Airways International
Copenhagen, Denmark SAS
Dammam, Saudi Arabia Cathay Pacific
Danang, Vietnam Pacific Airlines
Hiroshima, Japan Dragonair
Honolulu, HI, USA Singapore Airlines
Jeju, South Korea Korean Air
Kagoshima, Japan Dragonair, Japan Airlines
Las Vegas, NV, USA Singapore Airlines
Lanzhou, China China Southern
Milan, Italy Alitalia
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, USA Northwest Airlines
Muscat, Oman Gulf Air
Nauru, Nauru Air Nauru
Okinawa, Japan Japan Airlines
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Air Niugini, Cathay Pacific
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Varig
São Paulo, Brazil Varig
Seattle, WA, USA Northwest Airlines, United Airlines
Sendai, Japan Dragonair
Stockholm, Sweden Cathay Pacific
Vienna, Austria Lauda Air
Yangon, Myanmar Myanmar Airlines International

See also

External links

References

Artificial island airports | Airports in Hong Kong | Norman Foster buildings | Chek Lap Kok

Hiong-káng Kok-chè Ki-tiûⁿ | Flughafen Hongkong Chek Lap Kok | Aeropuerto Internacional de Hong Kong | Aéroport international de Hong Kong | Bandara Internasional Hong Kong | Hong Kong International Airport | 香港国際空港 | Port lotniczy Hongkong | 香港國際機場

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Hong Kong International Airport".

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