HKG | Hong Kong International Airport

[hkskyline]

Visa waivers to boost Guangzhou air travel
The Standard
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Guangzhou's aviation industry is likely to gain ground on Hong Kong as transit flyers can soon land in the Guangdong capital for three days without a visa.

The State Council has reportedly approved a scheme to grant visitors who transit in Baiyun airport 72-hour visa waivers for travel within Guangdong.

The policy will be implemented next month, Guangzhou-based Information Times said. It predicts the move will boost the short-term tourism industry following similar policies in Beijing and Shanghai.

The move may also post a challenge to Hong Kong's position as the dominant regional aviation hub, according to Law Cheung-kwok, director of aviation policy and research at Chinese University.

"Passengers, especially those in business who use to transit in Hong Kong, might switch to using Guangzhou, for either cost or convenience. As direct trade between the mainland and the world intensifies, more and more people may want to go to the mainland rather than work offshore in Hong Kong."

He said while international flights to and from Guangzhou are limited now, the airport is expanding, with a third runway expected to be in service in 2015 and a second terminal up and running by 2016. The airport carried 48 million passengers last year, up 7 percent from 2011.

Hong Kong's airport carried 56.5 million passengers last year, up 4.7 percent, with more than a third being transit flyers.

"In contrast, Hong Kong's third runway is still under public debate, and even if it could start building today, it will take about 10 years to complete," Law said.

The SAR holds 80 percent of the market share in handling Pearl River Delta's international air traffic, but according to the Hong Kong 2030 master plan, the figure will drop to 65 percent in the face of strong competition from cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The Hong Kong Airport Authority said while it awaits the formal announcement of Guangzhou's measure, it does not believe there will be a substantial impact to the city's air traffic.

[Wezza]

I tried to get a photo of the midfield terminal construction the other day but it didn't turn out too well, but I'll post it anyway:

[Wezza]

Some pics I took today from the cable car:

[fieldsofdreams]

Impressive! I can really see the vastness of the airport from high above Tung Chung...

[hkskyline]

HKIA Sees Growth in All Traffic Categories in April
Press Release

HONG KONG, 19 May 2013 － Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reported another busy month in April 2013 with across-the-board increases in traffic volume. Passenger trips and flight movements continued their upward trajectories, recording year-on-year growth of 1.1% and 5.1% to 4.9 million and 30,530 respectively, while cargo throughput reached 342,000 tonnes, up 4.5% compared to last April.

Visitation was the main driver behind the growth in passenger traffic with a 7% increase from the same month in 2012. Routes to and from mainland China and South East Asia performed particularly well.

Higher cargo throughput in April was primarily the result of a 5% year-on-year growth in exports. During the month, cargo throughput to and from South East Asia and Taiwan outperformed other key regions.

Stanley Hui Hon-Chung, Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, said, "We are delighted to see growth in all traffic categories in April. To meet the increasing demand for the medium term, six new parking stands will become operational by next month, and another 15 will be available before end of the year. Together with the Midfield development project, which includes a new passenger concourse with 20 parking stands, we will put in place a total of 48 new parking stands between now and the end of 2015 in phases. Other expansion in facilities, for instance, an increase of 10 additional air-side shuttle buses, is also being implemented to meet medium-term growth."

For the first four months of the year, HKIA handled 19.2 million passengers, 1.28 million tonnes of cargo and 119,025 flight movements, representing year-on-year growth of 4.1%, 2.2% and 4.2% respectively.

On a rolling 12-month basis, the airport handled 57.2 million passenger trips and 4.05 million tonnes of cargo, up 3.5% and 3.4% respectively over the same period last year. Flight movements grew 4.7% over the same period to 356,475.

http://www.hongkongairport.com/pr_download/Apr2013e.pdf

[kaate]

Thanks for sharing nice information about hong koung International Airport.

[hkskyline]

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/585/5856850.html

[hkskyline]

LCQ21: Aircraft noise
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):

Question:

In reply to my question at the meeting of this Council on April 18, 2012, the Government indicated that the Civil Aviation Department had, since October 1998, implemented a number of aircraft noise mitigating measures to minimise the impact of aircraft noise on the districts near the flight paths. Such measures included: (i) arranging flights departing Hong Kong from 11pm to 7am the next day to use the southbound route via the West Lamma Channel, and flights arriving in Hong Kong from midnight to 7am the next day to land from the waters southwest of the airport, as far as possible so as to avoid aircraft overflying densely populated areas in the early hours; (ii) requiring aircraft approaching from the northeast to adopt the Continuous Descent Approach when landing; (iii) requiring aircraft taking off towards the northeast to follow the noise abatement departure procedures so as to reach a higher altitude within a shorter distance; (iv) allowing only aircraft of a lower noise level (as defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation) to land and take off in Hong Kong; and (v) requiring all aircraft which could make use of the satellite navigation technology to follow a set of "Radius-to-Fix" turn procedures when taking off towards the northeast and turning south to the West Lamma Channel so as to reduce the noise impact on Ma Wan residents, etc. However, I have learnt that aircraft noise during the aforesaid hours still causes nuisance to the residents of quite a number of housing estates, making it difficult for them to fall asleep. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the monthly data recorded in 2012 and 2013 by various aircraft noise monitoring terminals on aircraft noise levels which reached 70 to 74, 75 to 79, and 80 decibels (dB) or above during the aforesaid hours;

(b) of the types of aircraft with noise levels reaching 80 dB or above last year, and the names of the airline companies to which such aircraft belonged; and

(c) whether it will further enhance the existing aircraft noise mitigating measures to reduce the nuisance caused to residents in the districts concerned; if it will, of the details?

Reply

President,

Our reply to the various sections of Hon Albert Chan's question is as follows:

(a) The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has 16 noise monitoring terminals. The aircraft noise events recorded by these terminals in 2012 and 2013 (up to March) by month are set out in Annex 1;

(b) The types of aircraft with noise events of 80 decibels or above in 2012 and the operating airlines concerned are set out in Annex 2;

(c) The CAD has implemented a series of aircraft noise mitigating measures in accordance with the balanced approach to aircraft noise management promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The measures are comparable to those adopted by other major international airports.

Since February 2012, CAD has implemented a new set of flight procedures that aim to allow aircraft which could use satellite-based navigation technology in their flights to adhere closely to the nominal centre line of the flight track when departing to the northeast of the Hong Kong International Airport and making south turn to the West Lamma Channel, thereby keeping the aircraft at a distance away from the areas in the vicinity of the flight paths, and reducing the aircraft noise impact on these areas.

With the advancement of technology in aviation, aircraft engines are quieter than before, and the improvement in the design of airframe has also helped reduce noise significantly. The CAD has been requesting the airlines to introduce newer models of aircraft to replace the older ones, and to deploy quieter aircraft for night time operations. Airlines are taking follow-up actions as appropriate, and are progressively replacing their aircraft fleet with newer models of and relatively quieter aircraft. The CAD will continue to closely monitor the progress made by the airlines in their aircraft fleet replacement and their deployment of quieter aircraft for night time operations, as well as the effectiveness.

Furthermore, the Airport Authority Hong Kong and the CAD will conduct a detailed study on the feasibility of introducing aircraft noise charges on the basis of the 24-hour operation of the Hong Kong International Airport, and with reference to the guidelines relating to aircraft noise charges issued by the ICAO. The aviation industry and the stakeholders will be consulted accordingly.

Annex 1 : http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/20130...629_111942.pdf
Annex 2 : http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/20130...629_111931.pdf

[hkskyline]

image hosted on flickr

#Mr Green's Air# Royal Brunei Airlines(BI)；Airbus A320-232;V8-RBS；Hong Kong International Airport by GRN_Wong, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

#Mr Green's Air# Fiji Air (PC)；Airbus A330-243;DQ-FJU；Hong Kong International Airport by GRN_Wong, on Flickr

[Wezza]

Some pics I took at HKG on Friday last week:

[GTR66]

Saw a picture of Lufthansa's 747-8 parked at the gate. Anyone know how the loads are?

[hkskyline]

Stanley Ho’s Shun Tak Acquires Stake in Jetstar Hong Kong
Jun 6, 2013 8:21 AM GMT+0800.
Bloomberg

Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN) and China Eastern Airlines Corp. (670)’s Hong Kong budget airline venture sold a stake in their airline to a company founded by billionaire Stanley Ho, which will help pave the way for an operating license.

The low-cost carrier, called Jetstar Hong Kong, sold a 33.3 percent stake to Shun Tak Holdings (242), Sydney-based Qantas said in a statement today. Qantas and China Eastern will hold 33.3 percent each, according to the statement.

The total capitalization of Jetstar Hong Kong remains unchanged at $198 million. With the addition of the partner, Qantas group cut its initial planned equity investment to $66 million from up to $99 million. China Eastern and Shun Tak will also contribute up to $66 million each, the statement said.

A local investor may help Jetstar Hong Kong win operating license from the local government. Failure to get the permit has delayed the venture’s operations, damping Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce’s move to tap travel demand in China with a discount carrier.

According to the city’s basic law, the local government has the authority to issue licenses to airlines incorporated in Hong Kong and having principal place of business in the city.

Shun Tak’s biggest shareholders include firms owned by Ho’s daughters and himself. Its business range from property development, ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau, hotels and investment.

Chinese Cities

Jetstar Hong Kong will focus on flying to secondary Chinese cities, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said in April. The airline will have about 18 aircraft, he said.

The first Hong Kong-based budget airline will offer 50 percent lower airfares on average than those by full-service carriers, Jetstar Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Edward Lau said in February.

The new venture targets its first flights by the end of this year with two Airbus SAS (EAD) A320s, China Eastern vice chairman Ma Xulun said in March. Previously, the budget carrier aimed to start services as early as this month with three A320s.

No budget carrier has a hub at Hong Kong Airport. Hong Kong Express, an affiliate of Hong Kong Airlines, has said it will convert to a low-cost model. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Ltd., which operated budget long-haul flights, collapsed in 2008 after racking up losses of about HK$1 billion ($129 million) in less than two years.

[fieldsofdreams]

@wezza those HKG pics look great, especially the interiors!

Well, HKG is lucky to see the B747-8I operated by Lufthansa on a daily basis now...

Lufthansa B747-8 Intercontinental (reg. D-ABYH)

Source

[hkskyline]

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/586/5863499.html

[fieldsofdreams]

Looks like Air India will start operating the Dreamliner (B787) on its Delhi-Hong Kong-Osaka and Delhi-Hong Kong-Seoul routes starting 25 June 2013. The airline will gradually introduce B787 service to both routes as a result of its routine schedule update on 7 June 2013. Planned B787 operation remains subject to change.

Details and schedules:

Delhi - Hong Kong - Osaka:
B787 service will begin 26 June 2013.

AI314 DEL2315 - 0650+1HKG0805+1 - 1240+1KIX 788 135
AI315 KIX1410 - 1650HKG1805 - 2110DEL 788 246

Delhi - Hong Kong - Seoul:
Planned B787 service tentatively scheduled from 25 June 2013, with twice weekly operation until 17 July 2013, and on all 4 weekly flights from 15 August 2013.

AI310 DEL2315 - 0650+1HKG0805+1 - 1230+1ICN 788 x135
AI317 ICN1415 - 1650HKG1805 - 2110DEL 788 x246

Note: AI310 currently displays B777-200LR service; AI317 displays B787.

Source

[Wezza]

Some shots I took of the UC midfield terminal:

[EK413]

Originally Posted by Wezza

Some shots I took of the UC midfield terminal:

Amazing how quickly the midfield terminal is coming along. I really love the way Asian countries such as HKG, SIN, ICN, BKK invest in their airports to keep ahead of demand not like Australian airports!!!

[fieldsofdreams]

Well, major Asian airports invest heavily with their airports because they foresee a huge spike in travel demand, especially from China, India, and Southeast Asia. Sadly, the Philippines hasn't even considered upgrading its current main gateway in Manila to have a larger, more modern, and efficient airport, similar to that of HKG. However, I am very hopeful that a brand new airport in Manila will definitely help get to its goal of 10 million tourists per annum... But, you're right, HKG's midfield terminal is truly getting in shape now. I wonder how many gates at that terminal will be able to accommodate the A380 in the process...?

[hkskyline]

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1076 by Andrew1012, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1005 by Andrew1012, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1025 by Andrew1012, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1030 by Andrew1012, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1035 by Andrew1012, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

_MG_1057 by Andrew1012, on Flickr