Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan for 2030

Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan for 2030

The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) opened in 1998 and in its first year handled over 28 million passengers, around 1.6 million tonnes of cargo and operated with 450 flight movements a day. Since then, Hong Kong airport, has risen in prominence and today serves as one of the worlds finest and most renowned airports handling over 50 million passengers and 4.1 million tonnes of cargo in 2010.

The airport mirrors the dominance Hong Kong has on the world stage as a commercial hub, tourist hotspot and beloved region. To many, the HKIA is seen as a reflection of Hong Kong’s prestige and a portrayal of its ingenuity. The airport is not merely recognised as an airport infrastructure, it is acknowledged as a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s economic market. Contributing 4.6% of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product (GDP), providing stable jobs for the Chinese locals and
most importantly, saturating the pillars of the Hong Kong market with people traffic. Supported by mainland China, plans to further the prowess of the Hong Kong International Airport to enhance the capital produced in Hong Kong and solidify the Special Administrative Regions (SAR) position as leaders in the international economic market are well under way. Recognising this importance of international business hubs is key to the plans being set in motion for Hong Kong. Following global predictions for a steady incline of air traffic, China and especially Hong Kong have identified the need to expand on the pre-existing runways and even to build a second international airport (Beijing). Asia is leading the way in planned airport expansions, with Seoul, Bangkok, Shenzhen and Shanghai all planning to construct one, two or even three more runways to adapt to the ever increasing amount of air traffic. The Hong Kong International Airport is no exception. Two, twenty year plans have been developed and now it’s simply a matter of deciding upon which option to enforce:

Hong Kong International Airport; Option 1;
This plan maintains the two runway system that has been in action since 1998 and instead of building a third, invests in the terminal and apron facilities such as; passenger concourse, automated people mover, baggage handling system and internal road infrastructure. At a cost of HK$ 23.4 billion, development would start in 2016 and be completed by 2030. However, this option would only provide short to mid-term prosperity with it reaching the estimated flight movement capacity of
420,000 by 2022 at the latest.

Hong Kong International Airport; Option 2;
Following in the footsteps of the rest of Asia, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has devised a second plan. This one entails constructing a third runway equipped with its corresponding terminal. Costing HK$ 86.2 billion and being completed by 2030 this plan would create over 200,000 more flight movements a year than option one. Financially, option two outshines option one by almost double in predicted income. Creating 141,000 jobs by 2050 and earning HK$912 billion in
its first 50 years as well as servicing the predictions of the required flight movements until 2030 at the earliest.

Maxim Recruitment’s Overview:
Whatever expansion plan is decided upon, the construction jobs that will be created will be enormous.  Along with MTR and other infrastructure work already underway in Hong Kong and Asia, this is the part of the world for construction professionals to target!

If you are interested in finding employment in Hong Kong please review & apply for one of our live vacancies & submit your details to us.

Best wishes
Dan Kirk August 2011