Airport's New SkyPier and North Satellite Concourse Officially Opened

(HONG KONG, 15 January 2010) -- Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) today officially launched two new facilities: the SkyPier, a new cross-boundary ferry terminal; and the North Satellite Concourse, which is equipped with 10 bridge-served parking stands for narrow-bodied aircraft. The facilities have been soft-opened since mid-December 2009.

At a ceremony held today at the SkyPier, The Hon Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, and Dr Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), unveiled commemorative plaques marking the grand opening of the two new facilities. The unveiling ceremony was also joined by Guo Li, Deputy Director, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Pu Zhaozhou, Director, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Civil Aviation Administration of China; and Stanley Hui Hon-chung, CEO of the AA.

"The new SkyPier and North Satellite Concourse are part of HKIA's near-term growth projects to enhance service levels and meet future demand," said Dr Marvin Cheung Kin-tung at the ceremony. "The SkyPier efficiently conveys passengers travelling between the Pearl River Delta and the world via HKIA, while the North Satellite Concourse enables about 98% of our passengers to embark and disembark airplanes in an indoor, weatherproof environment."

Southern China's robust economic development since the 1980s has stimulated strong demand for cross-boundary transport, and a temporary SkyPier was made available in 2003 to further facilitate the movement of passengers between HKIA and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. With an extensive air network of 150 destinations (including 40 Mainland cities),  HKIA has also served well the air transportation needs of the PRD, meeting the economic development needs of Hong Kong and contributing to Mainland's economic growth over the past three decades.

Travellers using the SkyPier — including international passengers and PRD residents — are not required to go through immigration and customs formalities at HKIA, thus cutting travel time and making their air-to-sea or sea-to-air transfers even more hassle-free.

Passengers en route for overseas destinations via HKIA's SkyPier are also exempt from paying the $120 Hong Kong Airport Departure Tax. In addition, the provision of upstream check-in services at major SkyPier ports allows passengers to obtain boarding passes and check in luggage at PRD, making the ferry ride to HKIA more comfortable.

The AA began the construction of a permanent pier located at the eastern tip of the airport island in 2006. Designed with the provision of eight berths (four at present) and a maximum capacity for 8 million annual passengers, the 16,500-sqm permanent SkyPier is eight times the size of the temporary facility.

The airport's Automated People Mover (APM) system has now been extended to the SkyPier, shortening the time for passengers to travel between the ferry pier and Terminal 1 to about four minutes — half of the time previously required. The SkyPier is also equipped with 20 airline check-in desks and five security screening channels; both can be expanded to meet growing demand.

The SkyPier has served almost 10 million passengers since its launch in 2003. Currently, high-speed ferries make an average of 85 trips every day, shuttling around 5,000 passengers between HKIA and eight ports in the PRD and Macao. These include Zhongshan, Zhuhai Jiuzhou, Dongguan Humen, Guangzhou Nansha, Shenzhen Shekou and Shenzhen Fuyong as well as Macao's Taipa and Maritime Ferry Terminal.

Today also marked the grand opening of the North Satellite Concourse. The 20,000-sqm concourse is built to serve the rising number of narrow-bodied aircraft using HKIA. With the 10 extra bridge-served parking stands, more passengers flying single-aisle airplanes will be able to embark and disembark using air bridges and avoid the potential inconvenience of being exposed to inclement weather conditions when compared with using remote bays, which are not served by air bridges. With the new concourse, fewer than 10 flights now need to park at remote bays every day, compared with 40-50 in the past.

Stanley Hui Hon-chung said the AA is also working on developing the midfield area of HKIA and the long-term HKIA Master Plan 2030. "By being able to meet future aviation demand, Hong Kong can maintain its position as a leading international and regional aviation centre and the preferred gateway to the Mainland," said Mr Hui.