HKIA passenger numbers grow as new stores open at Midfield Concourse

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) recorded steady growth in passenger volume and flight movements last month. During the month, passenger traffic rose 4.9% year-on-year to 5.7 million, while flight movements increased by 4.5% to 32,625.

The growth in passenger traffic in February was mainly driven by Hong Kong resident travel, which registered a 16% year-on-year growth over the same month last year. Passenger traffic to / from Southeast Asia and Japan increased most significantly.

In the first two months of 2016, HKIA handled 11.6 million passengers and 67,820 flight movements, up 9% and 5% from the previous year respectively.

On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA has handled 69.5 million passengers and 409,255 flight movements, marking year-on-year increases of 8.4% and 3.8%, respectively.

Last month Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) opened nine new retail shops and a café in the recently-inaugurated Midfield Concourse at HKIA. Additionally, eight retail and three catering outlets are soon to be opened at the 105,000 square metre concourse, including a new multi-category store concept from DFS. The catering outlets will offer café and casual-dining options to departing passengers who have limited time before boarding.

“The Midfield Concourse will be able to serve an additional 10 million annual passengers in order to meet the increasing passenger volume at HKIA.

“We are proud to offer extended retail and catering options throughout the concourse, which will let the passengers have a pleasant and enjoyable last-minute shopping and dining experience,”  said Cissy Chan, executive director, Commercial, Airport Authority Hong Kong.

The airport has also introduced a mobile application, which provides travel information and says it hopes to explore more advances with airport technology.

C K Ng, executive director of Airport Operations of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said: “To enhance the travel experience for HKIA’s passengers, we strive to provide customer-centric services by leveraging the latest technology, including the introduction of the HKG My Flight mobile application in 2013 that provides airport information, real-time flight status and more.

“With the application of iBeacon technology, passengers using the HKG My Flight app can receive push notifications of airport information including dining and shopping offers and promotions at the airport. While arrays of initiatives are in the pipeline, we will continue exploring the application of different technologies in daily operations, aiming to enhance mobility, automation, efficiency and convenience for passengers.”