HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

HONGKONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STOP-OVER 

by Henry Libo-on, Touristang Pobre  

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It was my first time to have a stop-over at the Hong Kong International Airport. There were not many expectations about the place as I will be confined only at the airport. So, I concentrated my attention on what I can find in the airport terminal in terms of facilities, services, and comfort that I can experience staying there for about four (4) hours.

 

Hong Kong International Airport is my stop-over before reaching my destination Manila. From Manila, I have to board another aircraft for my final destination - my hometown. 

Because I flew Cathay Pacific we have to have a stop-over for 4 hours at the airport.  My airport of origin at this time was New York's JFK International Airport which means I traveled around 15 hours, I guess. 

Upon arrival at the airport, I searched for a Shower Room.  I roamed around the Terminal, asked a few airport personnel including security, and maintenance about the location of a Shower Room. I do not know if we did not understand each other but their answer was "No".  There was no Shower Room in the airport just Restrooms. 

So, I went to the Restroom near the Gate of Cathay Pacific bound for Manila.  I just used my creativity to clean myself up and change my clothes before flying to Manila.  

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After freshening myself up at the Restroom, I went straight to where the Foreign Exchange Counter was located.  I exchange a few U.S. Dollars for the local currency so I can buy breakfast in the restaurant.  

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There were a number of restaurants and fast-food counters specializing in Asian, and International Cuisine.  I bought coffee and donut from a convenience store. The brewed coffee was a bit strong - "Barako", so I did not finish it. I went farther from where I had coffee and searched for a restaurant.  When I saw one I entered the restaurant to buy the hot noodles. Instead of savoring Cantonese food I chose Thai Noodles since I arrived at the airport at six in the morning and I wished to eat something hot and indeed the Thai Noodles were not only steaming hot it was also literally hot with pepper. I was shy to leave the cup unfinished so I just went on eating even if I thought the flavor of too much pepper was creating a puff of smoke in my ears and nose.  Just imagine how I would look. 

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By the way, I was in Terminal 1.  After eating hot noodles, I sat in one of the chairs near the Gate of Cathay Pacific aircraft bound for Manila. To entertain me I opened my Laptop and Googled what I can find in the Terminal.  I learned that there are around 47 shops in Terminal 1 and there are several stores selling branded products like Chanel, Prada, Versace, and Burberry among others. At this time, I was craving to eat Chocolate, so I stood up and looked for a store to buy Hershey's Chocolate.

In a while, I saw a shop where two bars of Kit Kat and a bottle of mineral water were sold for $2.00.  I entered the store and bought just that. Then went back to the Gate.  On my way, I noticed that one of my feet, the right one seem shorter than the left foot. I checked my feet and noticed that the sole of my right shoe was gone. I searched the floor around me but I cannot find that piece of my shoe. No wonder I was limping while walking. That was so embarrassing.  There was nothing that I can do, so I flew to Manila a "Limping" Man...haha.


Thanks, images.search.yahoo.com for this image of President Barack Obama. 

Now, since I am talking about the Hong Kong International Airport, it would be nice if I include some information about the airport to better your reading experience here. 

According to Wikipedia, the airport was built on a large artificial island formed by flattening and leveling Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau islands (3.02 square kilometers (1.17 sq mi) and 0.08 square kilometers (0.031 sq mi) respectively) and reclaiming 9.38 square kilometers (3.62 sq mi) of the adjacent seabed. The 12.48-square-kilometer (3,080-acre) airport site added nearly 1% to Hong Kong's total surface area, connecting to the north side of Lantau Island near Tung Chung's new town.^[11]  

                                    

Construction of the new airport was only part of the Airport 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 both Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. The project is the most expensive airport project ever, according to Guinness World Records. Construction of the new airport was voted as one of the Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century at the ConExpo conference in 1999.^{[12] (Source: The Wikipedia).} 

Photos by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

• The airport started its operation on July 6, 1998. 
• The airport is the hub of Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Air Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express, UPS Airlines, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and DHL Aviation. 
• The operator is Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Photo by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre. 

The Terminals:

 Hong Kong International Airport covers an area of 1,255 hectares (4.85 sq mi). The airport has a total of 90 boarding gates,^[21] with 78 jet bridge gates (1–4, 15–36, 40–50, 60–71, 201–219, 501–510) and 12 virtual gates (228–230, 511–513, 520–525) which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft by apron buses. Of the 66 jet bridges, five (Gates 15,23,60,62,64) are capable of handling the Airbus A380, the current users of which are Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, British Airways, Asiana Airlines, Thai Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa. Previous users were Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, and China Southern Airlines. (Source: The Wikipedia).

Photo by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

Terminal 1:

Terminal 1 of the HKIA, with an area measuring 570,000 square meters (6,100,000 sq ft), is the third-largest airport passenger terminal building in the world, after Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 and Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3.^[22]

Photo by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

Terminal 2:

Terminal 2 with an area measuring 140,000 m² (1,500,000 sq ft), together with the SkyPlaza, opened on 28 February 2007 along with the opening of the Airport Station's Platform 3.^[24] It is only a check-in and processing facility for departing passengers with no gates or arrival facilities (passengers are transported underground to gates at Terminal 1). So far most low-cost carriers and some full-service carriers have relocated their check-in operations to T2. The SkyPlaza is situated within Terminal 2. Architecture firm Aedasand Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill designed Terminal 2 and the SkyPlaza.^{[25][26][27] (Source: The Wikipedia).} 

My first coffee for the day was cut short when I noticed that the coffee tasted so strong. I refused to add more sugar, so I had to dispose of it half-finished. When I was in HKIA, there was an exhibit of Imperial Wardrobes and Fashion Accessories. 

North Satellite Concourse[edit]

In 2007, HKIA began the construction of a two-story North Satellite Concourse (NSC), which opened in December 2009.^[28] This concourse was designed for narrow-body aircraft and is equipped with 10 jet bridges. The concourse has a floor area of 20,000 square meters (220,000 sq ft) and will be able to serve more than five million passengers annually. There is a shuttle bus service between the NSC and Terminal 1 every four minutes. The North Satellite Concourse 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). Architecture firm Aedas designed the North Satellite Concourse.^{[29] (Source: The Wikipedia).}

Source:  http://www.businessclass.co.uk/hong-kong-international-officially-opens-new-midfield-concourse/

Midfield Concourse[edit]

On 25 January 2011, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) unveiled phase 1 of its midfield development project which is targeted for completion by the end of 2015. The midfield area is located to the west of Terminal 1 and between the two existing runways. It is the last piece of land on the airport island available for large-scale development. This will include 20 aircraft parking stands, three of these will be wide enough to serve the Airbus A380 and cater for an additional 10 million passengers annually. Passengers will reach the concourse through an extension of the underground automated people mover.^[30] A Joint Venture of Mott MacDonald and Arup led the design of the project, supported by a range of consultants including Architecture firm Aedas.^[31] The Concourse began operations on 28 December 2015, and the first flight that used it was the HX658 operated by Hong Kong Airlines flying from Hong Kong to Okinawa. On 31 March 2016, the Concourse was officially inaugurated in a ceremony marking its full commissioning.^{[32] (Source: The Wikipedia).}

Photo by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

Other buildings[edit]

Cathay Pacific City, the head office of Cathay Pacific, is located on the airport property.^[33] Cathay Dragon House (港龍大厦), the head office of Cathay Dragon, is also on the airport property.^[34] The head office of Air Hong Kong, as of 2004, is located on the fourth floor of the South Tower of Cathay Pacific City.^[35]

The Civil Aviation Department has its headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport.^[36]

The head office of Hong Kong Airlines was previously on Level 2 of the CNAC House (中航大廈, Mandarin: Zhōngháng Dàshà, Cantonese: jung1 hong4 daai6 ha6) at HKIA.^{[37][38] (Source: The Wikipedia).}

The airport is operated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, a statutory body wholly owned by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.^[120]

The airport has two parallel runways, both of which are 3,800 meters (12,500 ft) in length and 60 meters (200 ft) wide. The south runway has a Category II Precision Approach, while the north runway has the higher Category IIIA rating, which allows pilots to land in only 200-meter (660 ft) visibility. The two runways have a capacity of over 60 aircraft movements an hour. (Source: The Wikipedia).

The airport was the busiest for passenger traffic in Asia in 2010, and the world's busiest airport for cargo traffic in 2010.

Passenger facilities[edit]

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. The HKIA Automated People Mover, a driverless people mover system with 3 stations transports passengers between the check-in area and the gates. The trains travel at 62 kilometers per hour (39 mph). The airport also boasts an IMAX theatre that has the largest screen in Hong Kong. The theatre is located in Terminal 2, level 6, and can seat 350 persons at a time.^{[124] (Source: The Wikipedia).}

Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre[edit]

Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre

The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (BAC) is located within the airport and has its own 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 center facilities, ground handling, baggage handling, fueling, security, customs, and flight planning. Designated spaces and hangars are also provided at the BAC for private aircraft. (Source: The Wikipedia).

Baggage and cargo facilities[edit]

SuperTerminal 1

Asia Airfreight Terminal

DHL Central Asia Hub

Ramp handling services are provided by Hong Kong Airport Services Limited (HAS), Jardine Air Terminal Services Limited, and SATS 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 advanced baggage 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. (Source: The Wikipedia).

                          Source of photos - The Wikipedia. 

                                                                                                                                          

Photo by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

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So, this is my experience at Hong Kong International Airport.  I learned later in this trip that there are Shower Rooms at the Business Lounge of the Airport but I guess it was exclusive for certain passengers with certain privileges and I guess you also have to pay a certain amount to enjoy the facility of the Lounge. Once I verified this information, I will make the necessary corrections here. Thank you.  For me, HKIA is one of the best airports that I have been to even if I have not found the Shower Room that I was looking for.  I hope I can find it next time.  

Disclaimer:

Some photos have been sourced from yahoo.com and Wikipedia.  This includes some texts and information about Hong Kong International Airport which was sourced from Wikipedia.  All of these have been duly recognized.  

Some photos, however, were taken by Touristang Pobre while in Terminal 1 of Hong Kong International Airport, many summers ago.  Thank you.

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Many things must have happened as far as the improvement of the airport is concerned.  Please verify this information if you wish to know more about them. Thank you.

Updated on March 4, 2019. 
Reviewed on July 20, 2020.

Reviewed on April 21, 2021.