Hong Kong airport boosts capacity as Midfield Concourse opens on time

Passengers can take the Automated People Mover to travel between Terminal 1 and the MFC

Hong Kong International Airport’s HK$10-billion Midfield Concourse, as well as its auxiliary facilities including the aviation fuel supply system and the Automated People Mover connecting Terminal 1 and the MFC, has been completed on schedule.

Construction of the 105,000-square-metre five-storey new concourse began in 2011.

Located to the west of Terminal 1 and between the two existing runways, the MFC provides 20 parking stands and connects with Terminal 1 via an extension of the Automated People Mover system.

The concourse will gradually introduce restaurants, coffee shops and retail outlets to provide passengers with one-stop shopping and dining experience.

The first departure from the MFC was Hong Kong Airlines with flight HX658 bound for Okinawa.

An inauguration ceremony was held at the departure gate before take-off.

Jack So, chairman of AA, Zhang Kui, president of Hong Kong Airlines, C K Ng, executive director, Airport Operations of AAHK and Ben Wong, chief operating officer of Hong Kong Airlines celebrated this memorable moment with the flight’s nearly 300 passengers.

Passengers also received souvenirs to commemorate this new page in the airport’s history.

So said: “The MFC is an important development as it will help HKIA meet the increasing passenger traffic demand. In the past 12 months, HKIA has handled 68.2 million passengers, marking year-on-year increase of 8.3 per cent.

“With its capacity to serve an additional 10 million passengers every year, the MFC will be able to increase the number of flights using airbridges to board and disembark, enhancing the overall passenger experience.”