HK Int’l Airport races to keep up with boom in passenger traffic

Hong Kong’s Board of Airport Authority recommends the construction of a third runway at the airport to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic.

Patti Chau, Airports Council International (ACI) Regional Director for Asia Pacific said in a statement that airports “need a vision and a long-term view” to deal with capacity issues as passenger traffic shoot up to unprecedented rates in the coming years.

According to ACI Traffic Forecast for 2009 - 2029, global passenger traffic will reach 11 billion in 2029 and passenger traffic will grow by 4.1% per annum over the next 20 years.

Total passenger traffic in Asia and Pacific region is expected to nearly quadruple from 1.2 billion passengers in 2009 to over 4 billion in 2029. Asia and Pacific region will generate nearly 50% of all new global passenger demand over the next 20 years.

“It is crucial that airports in the region act promptly in response to the expected increase in traffic demand. The airports need to review its development plan with its local authorities and stakeholders to ensure there is enough capacity in its facilities to meet future demands,” she said.

Chau noted that when HKIA was planning for a new airport in 1990, it forecasted that it will only handle 45 million passengers. Actual figures from the airport showed that in 2010 alone, the airport welcomed 50 million passengers.

The Board of Airport Authority recently recommended the construction of a three-runway system for HKIA to the government based on studies done by the Social Sciences Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong.