International Airport

Hong Kongís Kai Tak airport received more than 25 million passengers annually making it the worldís third busiest airport.
As Kai Tak airport is already operating close to its designed capacity, a new state-of-art airport is being built at Chek Lap Kok, which when completed, will be four times larger, and capable of handling 35 million passengers and three million tonnes of air cargo per year when the first phase opens in April 1998.
Operating at round-the-clock, the double-runway airport can be expanded in stages to receive 87 million passengers and nine million tonnes of cargo annually by the year 2040.
The construction of the Chek Lap Kok airport comprises 10 interlinked projects, including the building of the new airport itself and the associated airport railway, the development of five highway networks, two major land reclamation in West Kowloon and Central District and a new town development.
The entire construction programme involves the creation of 1,669 hectares of land, 1,248 of which is for the airport platform. It is estimated to cost US$20 billion.
The passenger terminal complex, which has a gross floor area of 490,000 square metres, will have 57 aircraft gates. It will be equipped with an automated people-mover which is a driverless train system.
The Chek Lap Kok airport will be served by a 34-kilometre airport railway. Operating on the same tracks but with separate platforms the railway will provide two different rail services: the Airport Express, which will be a fast passenger link to the airport and the Lantau Line, which is a domestic service.
The Airport Express is designed as an all-seated, business class-type express service providing a 23-minute link between downtown Central District and the airport.
The Lantau Line is designed as a conventional mass transit commuter service along West Kowloon.
Both lines will have maximum operating speeds of 135 kilometres per hour.

The Better Hong Kong Foundation.