Editorial | Reputation of Hong Kong airport grows with facilities

After years with large areas shrouded in construction work, Hong Kong International Airport is just months away from opening a revamped second terminal that will hopefully help lift the city’s status as a global aviation hub. Terminal 2 will open in stages from September, starting with the debut of a reconfigured hall that offers 41 parking spaces for cars, tour buses and coaches.

The hall will host existing services all under the one roof, and will go into service just before the National Day “golden week” holiday begins on the mainland. Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said on Monday that some carriers, such as Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express, would be relocated to the second terminal in March next year. Check-in and departure services would be introduced early in the second quarter of next year, before a new concourse and facilities for arrivals were completed in 2027.

The work is part of the airport’s HK$141.5 billion expansion project that began in 2016, and the launch of a third runway last year was hailed as a “game-changer” for aviation ambitions. Many cities the size of Hong Kong have had to build more than one airport, therefore it is heartening to see developments here keeping ahead of the expected growth in demand. Airlines are even being urged to put on more flights to take advantage of the increased capacity.

Expansion, however, will require hard work. Last year, the airport handled 53.1 million passengers, 34.3 per cent more than in 2023. The level was still only 71 per cent of what it was in 2018 before the pandemic. Greater efficiency is a good start in the task of attracting travellers. Division of labour is planned for the two terminals. The new one will eventually be home to about 10 to 20 airlines and handling point-to-point flights and regional trips. Terminal 1 will serve airlines flying long-haul routes and operating morning flights.

The airport already boasts strategic advantages thanks to nearby exhibition and tourism attractions as well as solid links to the mainland. With the new airport envisioned as becoming “the landmark of Asia”, the imminent arrival of more facilities is a welcome sign that the city is ready to soar back to its rightful place as a world-leading aviation centre.