Hong Kong International Airport (IATA:HKG,ICAO:VHHH) is aninternational airport on the island ofChek Lap Kok in westernHong Kong. The airport is also referred to asChek Lap Kok International Airport orChek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predecessor, the formerKai Tak Airport.
Hong Kong International Airport, which employed about 60,000 people at the start of 2024,[10] is an important contributor toHong Kong's economy. The economic contribution generated by Hong Kong's air travel industry in 2018 amounted to US$33 billion, 10.2% of Hong Kong'sGDP.[11] More than 100 airlines operate flights from the airport to over 180 cities across the globe. In 2015, HKIA handled 68.5 million passengers,[5] making it the8th busiest airport worldwide by passenger traffic and the4th busiest airport worldwide by international passenger traffic.[12] Since 2010, it has also surpassedMemphis International Airport to become theworld's busiest airport by cargo traffic (excluding 2020 due to disruptions related to theCOVID-19 pandemic).[13]
View of the airport from theNgong Ping 360 cable car (2007)Map showing the reclaimed land of Lantau Island, Lam Chau and Chek Lap KokA front view of Hong Kong Airport (2008)The exterior of Hong Kong International Airport at night
Chek Lap Kok Airport was designed as a replacement for theformer Hong Kong International Airport (commonly known as Kai Tak Airport), built in 1925. Located in the densely built-upKowloon City District with a single runway extending intoKowloon Bay, Hong Kong Airport had turned on the runway lights for expansion to cope with steadily increasing air traffic. By the 1990s, Kai Tak had become one of the world's busiest airports, being a major hub for multiple passenger airlines along with a major cargo and maintenance hub – it far exceeded its annual passenger and cargo design capacities, and one out of every three flights experienced delays, largely due to a lack of space for aircraft, gates, and a second runway.[14] In addition,noise mitigation measures restricted nighttime flights, as severenoise pollution (exceeding 105 dB(A) inKowloon City) adversely affected an estimated 340,000 people at least.[15][16]
A 1974 planning study by theCivil Aviation andPublic Works departments identified the small island of Chek Lap Kok, offLantau Island, as a possible future airport replacement site.[17] Far from the congested city centre, flight paths would be routed over theSouth China Sea rather than crowded urban areas, enabling efficient round-the-clock operation of multiple runways. The Chek Lap Kok (CLK) airport master plan and civil engineering studies were completed between 1982 and 1983, respectively.[citation needed] However, in February 1983, the government shelved the project for financial and economic reasons.[citation needed] In 1988, the Port & Airport Development Strategy (PADS) study was undertaken by consultants, headed byMott MacDonald Hong Kong Limited, reporting in December 1989. This study looked at forecasts for both airport and port traffic to the year 2011 and came up with three recommended strategies for overall strategic development in Hong Kong. One of the three assumed maintaining the existing airport at Kai Tak; a second assumed a possible airport in the Western Harbour betweenLantau Island andHong Kong Island, and the third assumed a new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The consultants produced detailed analyses for each scenario, enabling the government to consider these appraisals for each of the three "Recommended Strategies".[citation needed] In October 1989, the Governor of Hong Kong announced to the Legislative Council that a decision had been made on the territory's long-term port and airport development strategy. The strategy was to be adopted that included a replacement airport at Chek Lap Kok and incorporating new container terminals 8 and 9 atStonecutters Island and east of theTsing Yi island, respectively.[18]
In the PADS study, the consultants advised that the earliest the airport could be opened was January 1998.[19] However, in reaching the government's decision, this date was changed to January 1997, six months before thehandover of Hong Kong to China. Construction of the new airport began in 1991.[20] As construction progressed, an agreement was reached with China that as much as possible of the airport would be completed before the handover to China in July 1997. Former British Prime Minister,Margaret Thatcher, opened theTsing Ma Bridge, the main access toLantau Island and the airport and its supporting community in April 1997. Soon after, the airport itself opened in July 1998.
The construction period was extremely rushed; specialists considered that only a 10–20 years period was sufficient for this massive project.[citation needed] Another cause for this rush was due to the uncertain future of the airport construction after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. Shortly after thethen-British colonial government of Hong Kong announced plans to construct the new airport, the Chinese government in Beijing began voicing objections to various aspects of the massive project, which prompted financial institutions to delay extending project finance. Without access to this financing, many of the companies who had secured contracts to build various portions of the project halted the construction, resulting in delays that pushed the actual opening of the airport which was originally planned to take place before the transition in sovereignty until one year after. As agreements were reached with the government in China, Beijing withdrew most of its objections and work then continued, albeit behind schedule.[citation needed]
Hong Kong International Airport was built on a largeartificial island formed by flattening and levelling the formerChek Lap Kok andLam Chau islands (3.02 square kilometres (1.17 sq mi) and 0.08 km2 (0.031 sq mi) respectively) andreclaiming 9.38 km2 (3.62 sq mi) of the adjacent seabed. The 12.48-square-kilometre (4.82 sq mi) airport site with its reclamation, added nearly 1% to Hong Kong's total surface area, connecting to the north side of Lantau Island nearTung Chungnew town.[21]
Construction of the new airport was only part of theAirport Core Programme, which also involved the construction of new roads and rail links to the airport, with associated bridges and tunnels, and major land reclamation projects on bothHong Kong Island and inKowloon. The project holds the record for the most expensive airport project ever, according toGuinness World Records. The construction of the new airport was also voted as one of the Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century at the ConExpo conference in 1999.[22]
The detailed design for the airport terminal was awarded to a consortium led by Mott Connell (the Hong Kong office of UK consultant Mott MacDonald) withBritish Airports Authority as the specialist designers for airport-related aspects,Foster and Partners as the architects, andOve Arup as the specialist structural designers for the roof. Mott Connell was the designer for the foundations, all other structural components, and the mechanical and electrical work. The sides of the terminals, predominantly glass, were designed to break during high-speed winds, relieving pressure and allowing the terminal to withstand an intense typhoon.[23]
The airport was officially opened in anopening ceremony by thePresident of the People's Republic of China andGeneral Secretary of the Communist PartyJiang Zemin at noonHong Kong Time on 2 July 1998. Hours later,Air Force One, carrying thePresident of the United StatesBill Clinton, landed at the new airport and became the first foreign visitor to arrive at the new airport.[24] The actual operation of the airport commenced on 6 July 1998, concluding the six-year construction that cost 60 billion US dollar. On that day at 06:25Hong Kong Time,Cathay Pacific Flight CX 889 from New YorkJFK Airport became the firstcommercial flight to land at the airport, pipping the original CX 292 from Rome which was the scheduled as the first arrival.[25] However, the airport had already started to experience some technical difficulties on the first day of opening. Theflight information display system (FIDS) had suddenly shut down which caused long delays. Shortly afterwards, the cargo-communication link with Kai Tak, where all the necessary data was stored (some still stored there then), went down. During the same period, someone accidentally deleted an important database for cargo services. This meant that cargo had to be manually stored. At one point, the airport had to turn away all air cargo and freight headed for and exported from Hong Kong (except food and medical supplies) while it sorted out the huge mess. HKIA simply could not keep up without an automated assistant-computer system.[23] For three to five months after its opening, it suffered various severe organisational, mechanical, and technical problems that almost crippled the airport and its operations. Computer glitches were mostly to blame for the major crisis.Lau Kong-wah, a Hong Kong politician, was quoted saying, "This was meant to be a first-class project, but it has turned into a ninth-class airport and a disgrace. Our airport has become the laughingstock of the world."[26][27] At one time, the government reopened thecargo terminal at Kai Tak Airport to handle freight traffic because of a breakdown at the new cargo terminal, named Super Terminal One (ST1).[28]
On 31 July 2000,Todd Salimuchai, a regularised illegal immigrant in Hong Kong withno provable nationality, forced his way through a security checkpoint using a fake pistol, took a woman hostage, and boarded a Cathay Pacific aircraft. He was demanded to be flown toBurma, which he claimed was his native country but had refused to admit him due to his lack of documents. He surrendered to the police two and a half hours later.[29]
Besides T2, the SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course was opened in 2007 whereas the second airport hotel, the Hong Kong SkyCityMarriott Hotel, and a permanent cross-boundary ferry terminal, theSkypier, began operations in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Development around T2 also includes theAsiaWorld-Expo which started operation in late 2005.[30] A second passenger concourse, the North Satellite Concourse (NSC), opened in 2010, followed by the Midfield Concourse in December 2015.[31]
During August 2019, the airport was shut down multiple times as demonstrations were held inside the airport during the2019–20 Hong Kong protests, over 160 flights were cancelled as both the arrivals and departures sections of the airport were occupied.[32]
The third runway, also known as the North Runway, was opened in July 2022. It is the first part of theHong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030 to be implemented. The third runway is 650 hectares in land area, roughly the size ofGibraltar. The Centre Runway and Terminal 2 of the airport were then closed to facilitate construction works, expansion and upgrades. The Centre Runway was reopened on 28 November 2024.[33] Terminal 2 is undergoing major expansion and is expected to re-open in 2025.[34][35]
Hong Kong International Airport covers an area of 4,707 acres or 1,905 hectares (7.36 sq mi).[36] The airport has a total of 88 boarding gates, with 77jet bridge gates (1–21, 23–36, 40–50, 60–71, 201–219) and 11 virtual gates (228–230, 511–513, 520–524) which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft byapron buses.[37]
In addition to Chek Lap Kok, the airport occupies what wasLam Chau.[38]
In late 2021, the air side of Terminal 1 started segregating mainland Chinese flights and other international flights into two separate zones, "Green Zone" and "Orange Zone", to reduce the risk of cross infection of novel coronavirus between travellers and airport workers serving different destinations.[40]
On 1 November 2022, the sky bridge opened as part of a wider HK$9 billion airport upgrade, connecting Terminal 1 to the T1 Satellite Concourse (T1S). Lined with glass floor panels at the edges, the 200 metre long and 28 metre high bridge, the largest of its kind, is high enough for anAirbus A380 to pass underneath.[41]
In 2007, HKIA began the construction of a two-story T1 Satellite Concourse (T1S), previously known as the North Satellite Concourse (NSC), which opened in December 2009.[42][better source needed] This concourse was designed fornarrow-body aircraft and is equipped with 10jet bridges. The concourse has a floor area of 20,000 square metres (220,000 sq ft) and will be[when?] able to serve more than five million passengers annually. T1S was built so the airport could accommodate at least 90 percent of its passengers by aerobridges. It has two levels (one for departures and one for arrivals). A new sky bridge connecting Terminal 1 and T1S opened in November 2022, allowing passengers to walk above taxiing planes, saving time from taking the airport shuttle bus.[43][44][better source needed][45]
On 25 January 2011,Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) unveiled phase 1 of its midfield development project which was targeted for completion by the end of 2015. The midfield area is located to the west of Terminal 1 between the two existing runways. It was the then last piece of land on the airport island available for large-scale development. This includes 20 aircraft parking stands, three of which are wide enough to serve theAirbus A380 and cater for an additional 10 million passengers annually. Passengers reach the concourse through an extension ofthe underground automated people mover.[46] A joint venture of Mott MacDonald and Arup led the design of the project.[47]Gammon Construction undertook the construction work.[48] The Concourse began operations on 28 December 2015, and the first flight that used it was the HX658 operated by theHong Kong Airlines flying fromHong Kong toOkinawa. On 31 March 2016, the concourse was officially inaugurated in a ceremony marking its full commissioning.[49]
Former Terminal 2 with an area measuring 140,000 m2 (1,500,000 sq ft), together with theSkyPlaza, opened on 28 February 2007 along with the opening of theAirport station's Platform 3.[50] It was only alow-cost carrier check-in and processing facility for departing passengers with no gates or arrival facilities (passengers weretransported underground to gates at Terminal 1). TheSkyPlaza was situated within. Former Terminal 2 was shut down on 28 November 2019 at 23:00 to make way for a new satellite terminal from the three-runway system.[51]
In June 2010, theAirport Authority unveiled plans to develop in stages the vast midfield site of the airport island. Stage 1 will involve the construction of a new 20-gate passenger concourse to be built in two phases (completion 2015 and 2020) with 11 gates in phase 1 growing to 20 gates in phase 2. The configuration of the new concourse is similar to those atAtlanta,Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,Berlin (Terminal 1),Chicago–O'Hare (Global Terminal),Denver,Detroit (McNamara Terminal),London–Heathrow (Terminals 2 and 5),Los Angeles (TBIT),Munich (Terminal 2),Salt Lake City,Seoul–Incheon,Washington–Dulles andFelipe Ángeles International Airport (Zumpango). After stage 1 of midfield development is completed in 2020,[needs update] there will be sufficient lands remaining for further new concourses to be built as and when demand for them materialises.[63]
One year after, on 2 June 2011, the Airport Authority announced and released their latest version of a 20-year blueprint for the airport's development, theHong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030.[64] The study took three years and according to the authority, nine consulting organisations have been hired for the research, observation, planning and advice. The main focus is to improve the overall capacity and aircraft handling ability of the airport. Based on this, two options have been developed.
To maintain the two-runway system, there would be enhancements to the terminal and apron facilities to increase the airport's capacity. This option would enable the airport to handle a maximum of 420,000 flight movements per year, with annual passenger and cargo throughput increased to 74 million and six million tonnes respectively. The approximate cost of this plan was $23.4 billionHong Kong dollars in 2010 prices. TheAirport Authority estimated that the airport would reach its maximum runway capacity sometime around 2020 if no extra runway were to be added.
This plan focussed on adding a third runway to the north of theChek Lap Kok, the island the airport is built on, by land reclamation, usingdeep cement mixing, of about 650 hectares (1,600 acres). Associated facilities, additional terminals, airfield and apron facilities, would be built as well, and, combined with the new runway, it was estimated that the airport would be able to handle a maximum of 620,000 flights per year (102 per hour, or about one flight every 36 seconds), and meet forecast annual passenger and cargo throughput of about 97 million and 8.9 million tonnes by 2030 respectively.[65]
There were possible drawbacks. Development costs were a concern: although the proposal would increase the number of direct jobs associated with HKIA to 150,000 by 2030 and generate an ENPV of HK$912 billion (in 2009 dollars), the estimated cost was approximately $86.2 billion (2010) Hong Kong Dollars.[66] There were also environmental and local noise pollution concerns.[citation needed]
On 20 March 2012, theHong Kong Government adopted this option as the official expansion plan.[67]
The third runway, with its dedicated passenger concourse (T2 Concourse), was built parallel to the current two runways on reclaimed land directly north of the existing airport island. The third runway (referred to as the North runway) began operations in July 2022, while the original North runway (re-designated as the Centre runway) was closed for reconfiguration until 2024. Other facilities of the Three-runway system project include the T2 expansion, new T2 Concourse, automatic people mover, andbaggage handling system.[68][69][70][71][72]
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2023)
The airport control tower and a taxiingCathay Pacific Cargo Boeing 747-8FThe view of the airport from the control tower, with anEVA Air Boeing 747 on a nearby taxiwayThe interior of the airport control tower
The airport has three parallel runways, all of which are 3,800 metres (12,500 ft) in length and 60 metres (200 ft) wide. The south runway has aCategory II Precision Approach, while the centre runway has the higher Category IIIA rating, which allows pilots to land in only 200-metre (660 ft) visibility. The two runways have a capacity of over 60 aircraft movements an hour. The airport is upgrading ATC and runways so that they can handle 68 movements per hour. Normally, the centre runway (07C/25C; until 1 December 2021 the north runway 07L/25R)[171][172] is used for landing passenger planes. The south runway (07R/25L) is used for passenger planes taking off and cargo flights due to its proximity to the cargo terminal.[166] A third runway (designated 07L/25R) to their north has opened in mid-2022, while the Centre runway has been closed for upgrades. When all three runways are opened, it is estimated that the airport will be able to handle a maximum of 620,000 flights per year (102 per hour, or about one flight every 36 seconds).
As of July 2025, there are 49 frontal stands at T1 passenger concourse, 9 frontal stands at T1 satellite concourse, 19 frontal stands at T1 Midfield Concourse, bringing the total number of frontal stands at the airport to 77. Eight frontal stands are capable of accommodating the A380.[173]
The airport was thebusiest for passenger traffic in Asia in 2010, and theworld's busiest airport for cargo traffic in 2010. In terms of international traffic, the airport is the third busiest for passenger traffic and the busiest for cargo since its operation in 1998. Over 95 international airlines are providing about 900 scheduled passenger and all-cargo flights each day between Hong Kong and some 160 destinations worldwide. About 76 percent of these flights are operated with wide-body jets. There is also an average of approximately 31 non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights each week.[174]
The operation of scheduled air services to and fromHong Kong is facilitated by air services agreements between Hong Kong and other countries. Since the opening of HKIA, theGovernment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has implemented a policy of progressive liberalisation of air services. Manylow-cost airlines have started various regional routes to compete head-on with full-service carriers on trunk routes.[175]
The airport's long-term expansion opportunities are subject to variables. The airport opened its third runway in July 2022 as part of a HK$141.5 billion expansion project that would increase its land footprint by 50%.[176] On the other hand, there exists only one airway between Hong Kong and mainland China, and this single route is often and easily backed up causing delays on both sides. In addition, China requires that aircraft flying the single air route between Hong Kong and the mainland must be at an altitude of at least 15,000 feet. Talks are underway to persuade the Chinese military to relax its airspace restriction because of worsening air traffic congestion at the airport. Other than that,Hong Kong Airport Authority is cooperating with other airports in the area to relieve air traffic and in the future,Shenzhen may act as a regional airport while Hong Kong receives all the international flights.[177]
TheGovernment Flying Service provides short and long-range search and rescue services, police support, medical evacuation and general-purpose flights for the Government.
Despite its size, the passenger terminal was designed for convenience. The layout and signage, moving walkways and the automated people mover help passengers move through the building. TheHKIA Automated People Mover, a driverlesspeople mover system with 3 stations transports passengers between the check-in area and the gates. The trains travel at 62 kilometres per hour (39 mph).
The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (HKBAC) is located within the airport and has its terminal and facilities separate from the public terminal. It provides services for executive aircraft and passengers, including a passenger lounge, private rooms and showers, business centre facilities, ground handling, baggage handling, fuelling, security, customs and flight planning. Designated spaces and hangars are also provided at the HKBAC for private aircraft. HKBAC has broken ground on a HK$400 million ($51 million) expansion. The project, which will double the airport's handling capacity for business jet movements, is expected to be completed in 2025.[178]
View of the airport and the surrounding complex in July 2023
To sustain the growth of passengers, the Airport Authority formulated a "push and pull through" strategy to expand its connections to new sources of passengers and cargo. This means adapting the network to the rapidly growing markets in China and in particular to thePearl River Delta region (PRD). In 2003, a new Airport-Mainland Coach Station opened. The coach station has a 230-square-metre (2,500 sq ft) waiting lounge and sheltered bays for ten coaches. Many buses operate each day to transport passengers between HKIA and major cities on the Mainland.[179]
The Coach Station was relocated to the ground floor (level 3) of Terminal 2 in 2007. The 36 bays at the new Coach Station allow cross-border coaches to make 320 trips a day carrying passengers between the airport and 90 cities and towns in the PRD. Local tour and hotel coaches also operate from T2. The coach station at T2 has shops and waiting lounges as well as a mainland coach service centre which gathers all operators together.[180]
In late September 2003, the SkyPier high-speed ferry terminal opened. Passengers arriving at the SkyPier board buses to the terminal and arriving air passengers board ferries at the pier for their ride back to the PRD. Passengers travelling in both directions can bypass customs and immigration formalities, which reduces transit time. Four ports –Shekou,Shenzhen, Macau andHumen (Dongguan) – were initially served. As of August 2007, SkyPier servesShenzhen'sShekou andFuyong,Dongguan'sHumen,Macau,Zhongshan andZhuhai. Passengers travelling from Shekou and Macau can complete airline check-in procedures with participating airlines before boarding the ferries and go straight to the boarding gate for the flight at HKIA.
In 2009, the permanent SkyPier Terminal opened.[181] The permanent ferry terminal is equipped with four berths, but the terminal is designed to accommodate eight berths. Transfer desks and baggage handling facilities are included, and the terminal is directly connected to the airport automatic people mover system.
SuperTerminal 1Asia Airfreight TerminalDHL Central Asia Hub
Ramp handling services are provided byHong Kong Airport Services Limited (HAS),Jardine Air Terminal Services Limited andSATS HK Limited. Their services include the handling of mail and passenger baggage, transportation of cargo, aerobridge operations and the operation of passenger stairways. The airport has an advancedbaggage handling system (BHS), the main section of which is located in the basement level of the passenger terminal, and a separate remote transfer facility at the western end of the main concourse for the handling of tight connection transfer bags.
HKIA handles over five million tonnes of cargo annually.[182]Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited operates one of the three air cargo terminals at the airport. Its headquarters, the 328,000-square-metre (3,530,000 sq ft) SuperTerminal 1,[183] is the world's second-largest stand-alone air cargo handling facility, after the opening of the West Cargo Handling Area of theShanghai Pudong International Airport on 26 March 2008. The designed capacity is 2.6 million tonnes of freight a year. The second air cargo terminal is operated byAsia Airfreight Terminal Company Limited, and has a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes a year.[184] The Cathay Cargo Terminal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, operates the third air cargo terminal since 2013, and is capable of handling an annual throughput of 2.7 million tonnes.[185] DHL operates the DHL Central Asia Hub cargo facility which handles 35,000 parcels and 40,000 packages per hour.Hongkong Post operates the Air Mail Centre (AMC) and processes 700,000 packages per day. It is envisaged that HKIA's total air cargo capacity per annum will reach nine million tonnes ultimately.[186]
Both line and base maintenance services are undertaken byHong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO), whileChina Aircraft Services Limited (CASL) and Pan Asia Pacific Aviation Services Limited carry out line maintenance. Line maintenance services include routine servicing of aircraft performed during normal turnaround periods and regularly scheduled layover periods. Base maintenance covers all airframe maintenance services and for thisHAECO has a three-bay hangar, which can accommodate up to threeBoeing 747-400 aircraft and twoAirbus A320 aircraft, and an adjoining support workshop.[citation needed] HAECO also has the world's largest mobile hangar, weighing over 400 tons.[citation needed] It can be used to enclose half of awide-body aeroplane so that the whole facility can fully enclose four 747s when the mobile hangar is used.
On 29 May 2009, CASL opened its first aircraft maintenance hangar in the maintenance area of the airport. The new hangar occupies an area of about 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) and can accommodate one wide-body and onenarrow-body aircraft at the same time; the hangar also has an about 10,000-square-metre (110,000 sq ft) area in its annexe building. CASL specialises inAirbus A320 family andBoeing 737 Next Generation series heavy maintenance.[187]
The Air Traffic Control Complex (ATCX), located at the centre of the airfield, is the nerve centre of the entire air traffic control system. Some 370 air traffic controllers and supporting staff work around the clock to provide air traffic control services for theHong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR). At theAir Traffic Control Tower, controllers provide 24-hour aerodrome control services to aircraft operating at the airport. A backup Air Traffic Control Centre/Tower constructed to the north of the ATCX is available for operational use in the event normal services provided in the ATCX are disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Apart from serving as an operational backup, the facilities are also used for air traffic control training.
The Airport Meteorological Office (AMO) of theHong Kong Observatory (HKO) provides weather services for the aviation community. The AMO issues alerts of low-levelwindshear and turbulence. Windshear detection is made using traditionaldoppler weather radars as well as the more effectivedoppler LIDAR, of which Hong Kong International Airport was the first to introduce. Doppler LIDAR systems use lasers to detect windshear and wind direction even when atmospheric conditions are too dry for Doppler radar to work.
Rescue and fire fighting services within the airport are covered by the Airport Fire Contingent of theHong Kong Fire Services Department. The contingent has 282 members, operating three fire stations and two rescue berths for 24-hour emergency calls. It is equipped with 14 fire appliances which can respond to incidents within two minutes in optimum conditions of visibility and surface conditions, satisfying the relevant recommendation of theInternational Civil Aviation Organization. Two high-capacity rescue boats, supported by eight-speed boats, form the core of sea rescue operations. One ambulance is assigned at each of the airport fire stations.
There is anautomated people mover, operated by the Airport Authority and maintained byMTR Corporation, connecting the East Hall to the Midfield Concourse via West Hall and Terminal 2. It was extended to SkyPier in late 2009 and extended to Midfield Concourse in 2015.[188]
Citybus (CityFlyer for Airport services),New Lantau Bus,Long Win Bus andDiscovery Bay Transit Services (Permits required) operate more than 40 bus routes to the airport from various parts of Hong Kong, available at the Airport Ground Transportation Centre and Cheong Tat Road. The bus companies also offer more than 20 overnight "N" and "NA" Bus lines (a.k.a. Night services).[189]
Direct ferry services are available from the airport to various destinations throughout thePearl River Delta (includingMacau) viaSkypier. Passengers using these services are treated as transit passengers and are not considered to have entered Hong Kong for immigration purposes. For this reason, access to the ferry terminal is before immigration at the airport for arriving passengers. Check-in services are available at these piers. Four ports –Shekou,Shenzhen Airport (Fuyong) andHumen (Dongguan) in mainland China, andOuter Harbour Ferry Terminal inMacau– were initially served, extending toGuangzhou andZhongshan at the end of 2003. TheZhuhai service began on 10 July 2007 while aNansha service started on 14 July 2009.[192]
Airport Express, which connects the airport and the central business district ofCentralAirport Express connecting between the airport and the central business district ofCentralAirport Express –Airport station
The Airport Express line originally terminated atAirport station, where trains open doors on both sides, allowing direct access to either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. It was later extended toAsiaWorld–Expo station on 20 December 2005 to facilitate the opening of the nearbyAsiaWorld–Expo venue. During events at the venue, someTung Chung line trains, which largely share the same tracks as the Airport Express, serve this station instead ofTung Chung, but these trains do not stop by the Airport station.
Kowloon Station (located in theYau Tsim Mong District on the western part of theKowloon Peninsula, this station is the major transfer hub in the Kowloon Peninsula. Connections are also available for taxis, MTR Shuttle Buses and public/private buses atElements. Before theCOVID-19 pandemic and currently suspended under further notice as of April 2023, in-town check-in services for major airlines were provided.)
New Territories Taxis connect the airport with theNew Territories, except those parts in the Metropolitan Hong Kong Area such asTsuen Wan,Sha Tin andTseung Kwan O (except parts ofHang Hau) were served by urban taxis.
Lantau Taxis connect the airport with the rest ofLantau Island.
On 8 September 2016, an airport delivery van crashed into the left engine ofCathay Dragon Flight 691 from Hong Kong toPenang, Malaysia, with 295 passengers and crew on board as the aircraft was taxiing to the runway. There were no fatalities. The aircraft was the exact same one involved inCathay Pacific Flight 780 (above) six years earlier, which occurred at the same airport.[195]
On 20 July 2021,UPS Airlines Flight 5X003 suffered an engine fire after takeoff. The plane went around and landed on Runway 7L. An investigation by the Hong Kong Air Authority and theNTSB determined that the cause of the incident was an incorrectly installed fitting on a bypass valve connected to the aircraft's fuel system for the left engine causing a fire that led to the accident. The engine was replaced and the aircraft returned to service.[196]
On 20 December 2022,United Airlines flight 2831 suffered abird strike and ingestion into the right engine after takeoff from Hong Kong International Airport. The plane landed without incident and nobody was injured.[197][198]
On 17 June 2024,Atlas Air Flight 4304 suffered a tire burst while performing anemergency landing. The tire fragments caused a 4-hour delay that delayed 186 of the 315 flights scheduled during this period. The Airport Authority reported that none of the five crew members on board the cargo plane suffered injuries. The break down of the hydraulic system caused clean-up to take longer than expected.[199]
On 20 October 2025,Emirates SkyCargo Flight 9788, aBoeing 747-400BDSF operated by Turkish carrierAir ACT, crash landed on Runway 07L. The aircraft touched down then turned away from the runway, crashed through the fencing and collided with a airport patrol vehicle that was travelling on a road outside of the runway's fencing. The patrol car got pushed by the aircraft into the sea and plunged into the water.[200][201] All four crew members onboard survived, however the two people in the patrol vehicle struck by the plane died.[202]
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