HK to fly with 30 more terminals in closed-loop plan

The Airport Authority plans to build 30 check-in terminals in the Greater Bay Area in the next two years so passengers can travel to the Hong Kong International Airport by ferry or the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge and skip extra immigration procedures, chief executive Fred Lam Tin-fuk said.

Lam said the GBA is an important market for airport development.

"We've planned various projects in the coming few years [and] hope they'll encourage passengers in the GBA to travel to our airport," Lam said. "We plan to set up 30 city terminals in the GBA."

The terminals will function like the ones in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Passengers in the GBA can get to the airport restricted area by taking a ferry at SkyPier or via the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge. This means "they can skip the immigration clearance step of entering and leaving Hong Kong and they will find the HKIA is as convenient as other international airports in Guangdong," Lam added.

Currently, upstream check-in services have been provided in 10 city terminals in the GBA, including at Shenzhen International Airport, Guangzhou Yingbin Hotel and Guangzhou East Station.

At these terminals, passengers can buy flight tickets and enquire about flight information.

Additionally, many airlines provide check-in services at these spots. After passengers complete the check-in procedures, they can get to the airport via direct transportation.

Lam also said the authority is building two car parks at the mega bridge port for passengers to park their vehicles before taking the plane.

The HKIA currently handles up to 80,00 passengers a day - about 40 percent of prepandemic levels.

Lam expected the figure to reach 80 percent of prepandemic levels by end of this year and reach normal levels within two years.

Meanwhile, the "Hello Hong Kong" tourism campaign launched Thursday, offering 500,000 free air tickets to lure travelers to the city.

Lam said the promotional effect can only be achieved if the number of free air tickets offered is huge.

He also believed that the generous giveaway could attract global attention even as other countries snatch visitors with their own campaigns.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the government will focus on cruise tourism and about 80 routes will stop by Hong Kong.

Yeung said authorities are considering whether it can offer promotions to attract cruises to stop by the SAR.

He added that he is not worried about the Covid quarantine facility at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal affecting the cruise scenery.

But he said that it was difficult to estimate when visitor numbers would recover to pre-pandemic levels as people's travel habits have changed in the past three years.