Flights land on third runway as Operation Familiarisation commences

July 8, 2022

Operation familiarisation for flights on the Third Runway, designated as the new North Runway of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), started today.

At 08:24hrs a Government Flying Service plane landed as the first flight taking part in the familiarisation on the Third Runway, followed by the first commercial flight, a cargo flight from Shanghai Pudong, touching down at 0827hrs.

Final preparation for operation familiarisation on the Third Runway and associated taxiways began in the evening of 7 July, including a joint inspection by Airport Authority Hong Kong and Civil Aviation Department.

As operation familiarisation commenced on the new runway, the Centre Runway is temporarily closed for reconfiguration as part of the Three-runway System (3RS) development. While the Centre Runway is temporarily closed, HKIA will continue to operate as a two-runway system with the new North Runway and the South Runway.

In addition to the Third Runway, the 3RS project comprises the expansion of Terminal 2, development of a new T2 Concourse, Automatic People Mover and Baggage Handling System, and is targeted to complete in 2024 as scheduled.

James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.