Hong Kong airport’s revamped Terminal 2 to open in stages from September Hong Kong airport’s revamped second terminal will open in stages from September, starting with the debut of a coach hall, as part of the city’s efforts to up its game as an international aviation hub. The Airport Authority said on Monday that the first phase would involve the launch of the reconfigured terminal’s coach hall – a covered area with 41 parking spaces for limousines, tour buses and coaches. The move means all such existing services will be relocated under the same roof. Vivian Cheung Kar-fay, the authority’s CEO, said that some carriers, such as Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express, would be relocated to the second terminal in March of next year. Check-in and departure services would be introduced in the early part of next year’s second quarter, while the terminal concourse and new arrival services were set to launch in 2027, she added. “Terminal 2 will have airlines serving point-to-point destinations, so they are more about regional services,” said Cheung, who was promoted to CEO in April after previously serving in an acting leadership position. “An airline will only operate in either Terminal 1 or 2, not both.” The facility is part of the airport’s HK$141.5 billion (US$18 billion) expansion project that started in 2016, which also included a third runway and a reconfigured Terminal 2. The expansion project, in particular the new three-runway system, was hailed as a “game-changer” for the city’s enhancement of its status as an international aviation hub. Steven Yiu Siu-chung, the authority’s executive director for airport operations, said the coach hall was due to open on September 23, just before the National Day “golden week” holiday started in mainland China. “So travellers will transit at ease without getting wet at the coach hall on rainy days,” he said. Ticketing counters and boarding points for cross-boundary coaches and limousines located at Terminal 1 and Car Park 4, respectively, will all be under the same roof at the new site. It will also include tour bus boarding spaces that are currently located at the airport’s Car Park 1. The airport’s bus stops will remain in their current location. CEO Cheung said that given developer New World Development’s retail and entertainment complex 11 Skies was a key component of Terminal 2, a third of the mall’s spaces would open up in the middle of 2026 as per contractual commitments. “The mall is like a theme park offering experiences for kids, families and visitors – especially those from the Greater Bay Area,” she said. “We can’t compete on prices with Shenzhen, but we can compete with Hong Kong’s experiences.” She added that the developer’s internal issues had affected the shopping centre’s offerings and opening to some extent. “It has had some issues recently, as you know,” she said without elaboration. The company is the city’s most indebted developer and saw its core operating profit shrink by 18 per cent year on year to HK$4.42 billion (US$564 million) for the six-month period ending on December 31. The mall currently only has a limited number of outlets open. Cheung said the new terminal was expected to eventually house about 10 to 20 airlines. The division of labour for the two terminals will involve the first one handling airlines flying long-haul routes and planes making morning departures, while the second will tackle point-to-point flights and mostly regional trips. As a result, Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and any airlines with which it works closely will remain based in Terminal 1. Cheung urged airlines, especially Cathay, to increase their flights and encouraged foreign airlines operating in the city to absorb the new capacity resulting from last year’s launch of the three-runway system. She said the opening of Terminal 2 in stages also depended on the amount of passenger traffic at the airport. Last year, the airport handled 53.1 million passengers, 34.3 per cent more than in 2023, but it only accounted for 71 per cent of the level recorded in 2018. With the inclusion of budget arm HK Express’ tally, Cathay Group carried 28 million passengers last year and accounted for 52.7 per cent of the airport’s total. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3311850/hong-kong-airports-terminal-2-open-stages-september (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post