World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
Tel: 2188 7111 or 2181 0000 (enquiry hotline). Fax: 2824 0717.
E-mail: customer@hkairport.com
Website: www.hkairport.com

Frequently voted World’s Best Airport, Hong Kong’s airport is located 45km (28 miles) from central Hong Kong, at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau island. It opened on 6 July 1998, replacing the existing Kai Tak airport, and is now the world’s fifth busiest passenger airport, with an average of 600 aircraft taking off/landing each day. Its cargo capacity (increasingly important as the airport competes as a cargo hub) is planned to rise from its initial three million tons to nine million tons. This is especially important, since new ‘open skies’ agreements between incumbent carrier Cathay Pacific and US regulators have opened up many direct and onward routes between Hong Kong and US cities. The expanse and quality of shopping, dining and relaxation facilities at Chep Lap Kok are a real eye-opener for any first-time visitor. The new SkyPlaza, being built next to the passenger terminal, will serve as a focal point for air, sea and surface traffic and forms part of the larger SkyCity development, including the AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition centre, a hotel, golf course and cross-boundary ferry terminal.

Chep Lap Kok airport was one of the largest global infrastructure projects ever undertaken. It includes the 2.2km (1.4-mile) Tsing Ma Bridge (the world’s largest suspension bridge) linking Hong Kong to Lantau. Approximately three quarters of the 12,480 sq kilometres (7800 sq miles) of the airport site was constructed from land reclaimed from the sea. The airport terminal building, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, is Hong Kong’s largest single building.

Major airlines: Cathay Pacific (tel: 2747 1888; website: www.cathaypacific.com) is the territory’s flag carrier, operating direct flights to most major destinations in the West and Australasia. Other major airlines out of the 60 international carriers that serve the territory include Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, American Airlines, British Airways, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, Emirates, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Olympic Airways, Qantas, Royal Brunei, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Approximate flight times to Hong Kong: From London is 11 hours 45 minutes; from New York is 20 hours 10 minutes (due to fall by seven hours or more with more non-stop New York-Hong Kong services launching); from Los Angeles is 14 hours 35 minutes; from Toronto is 15 hours 15 minutes and from Sydney is 9 hours.

Airport facilities: Hong Kong International Airport has a suite of facilities appropriate to its size and importance. There are 118 immigration desks for arriving passengers and 88 for departing passengers, operated by Hong Kong’s Immigration Department. Twelve baggage carousels give an estimated baggage reclaim time of as low as 10 minutes. The Hong Kong SkyMart shopping centre (open 0600-2430) has over 150 shops, including 30 food and beverage outlets – soon to expand still further. Three information centres (open 0600-2400) provide extensive services, including hotel reservation and touch-screen passenger information kiosks. Free multimedia and Internet access lounges are available in the passenger terminal; wireless broadband access is available to passengers with wireless Ethernet cards. Bureaux de change are open daily 0600-2330. The passenger terminal building offers special-needs facilities for passengers with disabilities. Car hire is available at the Ground Transport Centre from Avis, Hertz and other major operators.

Business facilities: The PCCW HKT business centre (tel: 2883 3871) provides Internet services, fax and telegram facilities, as well as a small conference room accommodating four or five people (daily, 0700-2300, check-in hall).

Arrival/departure tax: There is a departure tax of HK$120, included in the price of your air ticket. No collection/payment is made at the airport. Travellers arriving/departing from Hong Kong on the same day are exempt from payment.

Transport to the city: Rail, bus and taxi links from Hong Kong International Airport to central Hong Kong leave from the Ground Transportation Centre. The easiest connection is via the high-speed MTR Airport Express train (tel: 2881 8888), which runs daily 0550-0048 and leaves every 10 minutes, taking passengers from the airport to central Hong Kong in just 23 minutes, via stops at Tsing Yi and Kowloon stations. A single adult ticket costs HK$100 (a one-month return is HK$180 - concessions are available) to Hong Kong Station, and HK$90 to Kowloon – the likeliest destinations for international travellers. The Airport Express is operated by the Mass Transit Railway – MTR (see Public Transport), which also connects districts through Kowloon and Hong Kong Island with the airport. There is a combined Airport Express Tourist Octopus three-day Hong Kong transport pass available, which allows for a single journey into Hong Kong, plus three days of unlimited rides on the MTR. This costs HK$220 – or HK$300 for two journeys on the Airport Express plus the rest of the package. Passengers can also take advantage of free shuttle buses linking MTR’s Hong Kong and Kowloon stations with major hotels; there is also a free check-in service at both stations for up to a day before departure.

By bus, the quickest way to central Hong Kong is on the Airbus (tel: 2261 2791) and Cityflyer airport bus (tel: 2873 0818), which departs every 15 minutes (journey time – 1 hour) at a cost of approximately HK$40 for services to Central. About 30 franchised routes serve the airport, including night buses, with 17 pick-up bays. The earliest ‘A’ route express bus services run 0530-2400, when the ‘N’ night-bus service takes over from 0015-0500.

Taxis to Hong Kong are readily available. Red taxis serve Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, green taxis serve the New Territories and blue taxis serve Lantau Island (journey time to Hong Kong – 45 minutes). The fare to Central is typically HK$330, while to Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon Side, this is HK$270. Limousine hire is available from desks in the arrivals hall, from International Hire Car (tel: 2261 2188) and Parklane Limousine (tel: 2261 0303). Ferry links operate between the airport and Tuen Mun in the New Territories every 30 minutes, daily 0600-1000, costing HK$15 (journey time – 9 minutes).

Turbojet (website: www.turbojetseaexpress.com.hk) now provides direct daily ferry services from Chep Lap Kok airport to/from Macau (45 minutes – 1000-2115) and Shenzhen (40 minutes – 0820-1945).