Airport traffic surpasses pre-pandemic levels on occasions

The Hong Kong International Airport reported 33,550 aircraft movements in December 2024, with daily totals on some occasions surpassing pre-pandemic levels, while its first facility of the expanded Terminal 2 (T2) will open in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Airport Authority submitted a document to the Legislative Council on Monday to give an update about the three-runway system, which went into operations on November 28 last year.

The authority said a total of 33,550 airplanes landed on or took off from the airport in December last year, the first full month since the commissioning of the three-runway system.

This represented an increase of 12.5 percent from a year earlier, with some days exceeding the pre-pandemic numbers.

During the Chinese New Year holidays, the airport saw 200,000 passenger trips per day on peak days, resuming to the pre-pandemic level.

In light of passenger traffic demand, the authority is preparing for new passenger facilities, in particular the expanded T2, which is set to open in phases from the end of this year.

“A comprehensive familiarisation, training and exercises plan is being prepared, covering check-in facilities, automated people mover system, baggage handling system, and more,” the document read.

“Drills and exercises will also be arranged to practice and test the contingency and emergency response plans.”

The first facility to open at T2 will be the Coach Hall for tourist and resident coaches, in the fourth quarter this year.

“This will release the existing coach staging area in Car Park 1 for use by private cars to cater to the increasing demand, which will in turn help ease traffic at Terminal 1 during peak times,” the authority said.

The next phase will see the passenger departure facilities go into service, including the departure hall and related facilities.

Regarding its finances, as of March, the Airport Authority’s total estimated net borrowings remained below HK$130 billion, with an overall borrowing cost of around 3.5 percent per annum.

The authority described the financings as staying “healthy” and “within the estimated debt capacity assessed by the authority and its financial advisor.

“With the full recovery of traffic at the HKIA and the reduction in capital expenditure following the commissioning of the three-runway system, AAHK’s net borrowings are anticipated to stabilize and gradually decline over the medium term.”

(Jamie Liu)