Airport Guide

History of Hong Kong International Airport

Constructed in the 1990s from reclaimed land, the artificial island upon which Hong Kong International Airport sits added around one per cent to the total area of the province and has been named as one of the top ten engineering projects of all time.

The airport was officially opened in 1998, with the arrival of a Cathay Pacific flight from Rome, though it then went on to experience several months of teething troubles, with a number of mechanical and organisational problems frustrating tens of thousands of passengers. Since then, it has become one of the busiest and most efficient airports in the world, benefiting from the construction of a second terminal in 2007, which also boasts a SkyPlaza.

However, the development has not finished, and plans are in place for an ambitious SkyCity, which will boast a number of top hotels and even allow travellers to enjoy a round of golf before jetting off.

Travelling to Hong Kong International Airport

Not surprisingly for one of the most futuristic cities on the planet, transportation links between the centre of Hong Kong and the airport are impressive to say the least.

By far the best means of travelling between the two is the Airport Express rail link, which connects Hong Kong central station with both terminals and also boasts the advantage of allowing passengers to check in for their flights up to a day before, depending upon which airline they are flying with.

Slower but cheaper, there are also numerous buses serving the airport, many of which are capable of handling large amounts of luggage. One advantage of this mode of transport is that it offers more stops within the Hong Kong suburbs. There are also regular coach services which serve several other Chinese ports and cities, including Macau, Skehou, Humen, Guamgzhou and Zhongshan.

Ferry services also operate between the airport and the nearby ports, though passengers should be aware that anyone entering Hong Kong this way are treated as in transit and not deemed to have entered Hong Kong itself and will therefore be required to go through the usual immigration processes.

Airlines Flying from Hong Kong International

Unsurprisingly, Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific dominates the airport, operating high-quality flights to all corners of the globe, though its services to Beijing, New York, London and Sydney are among its most popular. The carrier also flies to, among many other destinations, LA, Tornoto, Rome, Johannesburg, Frankfurt and Paris.

Though not as well known in the West as many other airlines, Dragonair also boasts a strong presence in and out of Hong Kong, operating services to a number of Asian cities, including Bangalore, Beijing, Dhaka, Fuzhou, Kathmandhu, Kota Kinabalu, Taipei and Xiamen.
Aside from these, all the usual national carriers touch down on the artificial island, including Iberia, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, Qantas, British Airways and virgin Atlantic.