CCTV documentary traces Hong Kong airport’s three-runway expansion

Hong Kong International Airport is looking to use the additional capacity created by its three-runway system to expand connections with Belt and Road markets, as a new CCTV documentary traces the development of one of the city’s largest infrastructure projects.

Produced in collaboration between Airport Authority Hong Kong and China Central Television, the documentary aired during prime time on CCTV-4 on Monday, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the planning and construction of the three-runway system.

The program follows the project through the perspective of Tommy Leung King-yin, Airport Authority’s executive director for engineering and technical services, while also featuring interviews with senior airport executives, government officials and contractors involved in the development.

The three-runway system began full operation in November 2024 after construction started in 2016. It expanded the airport’s long-term capacity to handle up to 120 million passengers and 10 million metric tons of cargo a year.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said in the documentary that Hong Kong’s development as an international aviation hub was supported by its position within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and national development strategies.

Airport Authority chief executive Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said Hong Kong International Airport was positioned as a major Asian aviation hub, with the Greater Bay Area serving as an important hinterland.

She said the airport had already been operating close to capacity before the three-runway system was completed, limiting opportunities to add new routes.

The additional capacity has allowed the authority to pursue further network expansion, including stronger links with markets in the Middle East, Central Asia, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, she said.

Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan, announced last week, also sets out plans to expand the airport’s global network from more than 220 destinations to 240 by 2030, with at least 40 percent of aviation partners approached for stronger links to come from Belt and Road economies.

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The airport’s development is also moving beyond aviation.

Airport Authority chairman Fred Lam Tin-fuk said the completion of the three-runway system would support the next stage of the Airport City project, branded as SKYTOPIA.

Plans include a yacht marina, arts storage and trading facilities, and an expanded AsiaWorld-Expo featuring a 20,000-seat indoor performance venue. The projects are expected to come on stream progressively over the coming years.

Lam said the authority would continue using the expanded runway capacity to strengthen Hong Kong’s international network and work toward annual handling capacity of 120 million passengers and 10 million metric tons of cargo.

The government’s latest five-year blueprint also identifies strengthening Hong Kong’s role as an international aviation hub as a priority, with plans to develop more long-haul routes and deepen links with South America, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
 

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