Flight Check Success at Hong Kong Airport Prepares Runway for Expanded Operations in 2024

A significant milestone in the readiness for the three-runway operation at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been achieved with the successful completion of the flight check of the reconfigured Centre Runway.

Commencing in August 2024, the flight check was a collaborative effort between Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), the Civil Aviation Department, and the Flight Inspection Center of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The primary goal was to ensure that air navigation service equipment, flight procedures, and the airfield ground lighting system at the reconfigured Centre Runway meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Since the commissioning of the North Runway in November 2022, the Centre Runway was temporarily closed for reconfiguration as part of the development of the Three-runway System (3RS). The reconfiguration included resurfacing the runway pavement to align with connecting taxiways, building new runway entry and exit taxiways, and constructing new wrap-around taxiways at both ends. AAHK aims to have all three runways operational before the end of the year, as planned.

The 3RS project will expand HKIA’s capacity to accommodate the projected air traffic demand of 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo by 2035, solidifying HKIA’s status as a premier aviation hub in the region.