Hong Kong air traffic hits record levels as airport nears capacity
Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) set new records for passenger traffic and aircraft movements in 2015, bringing it closer to full capacity.
Following a record-breaking 2014, the airport’s traffic volumes continued to surge last year, with a total of 68.5 million passengers and 406,020 flight movements, representing growth of 8.1% and 3.8% respectively. The airport’s cargo throughput also reached a record 4.38m tonnes.
“We are pleased to see HKIA achieving another recording breaking year,” said Fred Lam, CEO of Hong Kong’s Airport Authority. “During the past year, HKIA also set new records in daily passenger volume and aircraft movements, reaching around 228,000 passengers and over 1,200 flight movements.
“The airport also welcomed six airlines, namely Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific, Scandinavian Airlines, Myanmar National Airlines, Etihad Airways and Sky Lease Cargo, which extended our flight network to 190 destinations around the world,” he added.
In December 2015 alone, HKIA set a new monthly record in terms of flight movements (35,400), while passenger traffic rose 6.1% to 6.0m. But the airport – the third busiest in Asia Pacific and among the world’s top 10 in terms of passenger traffic – is now reaching full capacity.
A new Midfield Concourse opened in December, adding 20 more aircraft parking stands. But this is just one part of an ongoing programme of expansion projects being undertaken at HKIA, in an effort to accommodate this rising traffic. The airport is also planning to construct a third runway on reclaimed land.
“Looking forward, we expect 4% to 6% growth in passenger volume in 2016,” Lam stated. “Most challenging of all, we expect air traffic movement to reach its annual maximum capacity of 420,000 soon.
“Expanding the airport into a three-runway system (3RS) is the only option for us to meet long-term air traffic demand. We will continue the preliminary work of the 3RS project, aiming to commence construction works this year.
“Meanwhile, we will spare no efforts in providing passengers with a world-class travel experience through close cooperation with the airport community and our business partners,” he concluded.
Comments are closed.