Hong Kong International Airport (IATA-Code: HKG) opened its third runway for scheduled commercial operations on Friday, July 8th.
The first flight to land on the new Northern runway, which is designated as 07L/25R, was Cathay Pacific Cargo flight CX3251 from Shanghai to Hong Kong, operated by a Boeing 747-400F.
In September 2021, the pavement work was completed at the new runway. About six months later, the airport conducted flight checks in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Department of China, followed by rescue and crash exercises in April and May 2022. On May 31st, the Civil Aviation Department issued the renewed aerodrome licence to operate with a third runway.
Approximately 71.5 million passengers travelled through Hong Kong Airport in 2019, making it one of the busiest airports in the world. Two years later in 2021, only 1.35 million passengers were counted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, passenger numbers are already increasing; in May 2022, the numbers increased by 186% compared to the same month in 2021.
Hong Kong International Airport officially opened 24 years ago in July 1998. In addition to the new runway, the airport is currently expanding Terminal 2 as part of the project ‘3RS’ (= three-runway system). The construction work is scheduled to end in 2024.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
