Inside the Hong Kong miracle

With 34 years in the industry, Chapman Fong has worked on everything from cargo and baggage operations to business development. He helped manage the transition from Kai Tak airport in 1998 and is now part of the team that’s on the verge of bringing the airport’s new third runway into operational use.

Hong Kong’s new runway, built on land reclaimed from the waters to the north of its two existing runways, was commissioned in 2022. While the centre runway was temporarily closed for reconfiguration, other core projects under the 3RS project are progressing full steam at HKIA. The 3RS, one of the most ambitious construction projects anywhere in the world, it’s one that Fong describes as a “miracle”.

The control tower - courtesy of Hong Kong International Airport

Recognising it would one day reach full capacity, Hong Kong identified the need for a third runway back in 2010. By 2016 the 3RS project was born and incredibly, the runway itself was completed just six years later. Now, following a further two years’ work on a new terminal, the team are working towards three runway operations for the first time. “It has been a huge amount of work. The land reclamation element alone was a massive challenge given the soft soil around Chek Lap Kok island in Hong Kong. The project team had to pioneer a technique using an advanced method called deep cement mixing, which while being more expensive, was far quicker and much more environmentally friendly.”

Whilst the airport island is now over 1900 hectares in total, the expanded airport does not have a huge footprint when compared with others around the world. Yet when the 3RS opens it will have capacity for 102 aircraft movements per hour and 120 million passengers a year. That has the potential for yet further growth in support of development in the wider Greater Bay Area. “We’ve learned a lot from Heathrow about what it means to maximise runway efficiency” adds Fong.

Of course, runways alone do not make for an efficient operation. Delivering the 3RS has also been an opportunity to fundamentally assess how the airport operates. The daily challenges faced by Hong Kong are the same as major airports all over the world. The choreography required to ensure everyone, from passengers and air crew to baggage handlers and catering staff are where they need to be, when they need to be there, is a daily logistical challenge. “We believed there was a better way of doing things,” says Fong.

We’ve learned a lot from Heathrow about what it means to maximise runway efficiency.

Commissioned two years ago, the airport’s new Integrated Airport Centre is a sight to behold. While airport operation cells aren’t in themselves novel, what Hong Kong has done is on another scale, both in terms of its sheer size and ambition. Underpinned by Searidge Technology’s software platform, the IAC features a 160m² video wall displaying real-time operational information.

From here they can monitor the entire airport operational flow, including apron traffic, passenger movements, land and sea transport and more, tracking over 30 critical KPIs and making it one of the largest operational cells of its kind anywhere in the world. But it’s not just size, it’s the approach. “We always envisioned it as an inclusive environment and that has meant inviting the airlines in as well. An airport only performs as well as its airlines, and vice versa. Having everyone in one place, sharing information, coordinating on decisions, it just made sense.”

An airport only performs as well as its airlines, and vice versa. Having everyone in one place, sharing information, coordinating on decisions, it just made sense.

Cathay Pacific, one of the home-based carriers in Hong Kong, was the first airline to move into the IAC and Fong says they’re already seeing an improvement in on time performance. “An airport is all about managing flow; coordinating the flow of people, baggage, cargo, catering, so everything is where it should be. Of course that’s the plan, but it can be very easy for things to go wrong and much more difficult to set them right again.” Everything is orientated around reducing operational silos, identifying possible issues early and enabling better decision making.

Inside Hong Kong's state-of-the-art Integrated Airport Centre - courtesy of Hong Kong International Airport

This is a process the airport has been working towards for decades. It had seven operational centres when the airport first opened, which were consolidated down to just one around 10 years ago. “This worked well, and we decided to leverage it further. We needed something that could be embraced by the entire airport community, from air traffic control, to ground handling to the airlines. So that’s what we’ve built.”

One of the big innovations that makes the IAC work is the airport’s Digital Apron Management System. Fed by 240 cameras providing total coverage across the airfield, the DAMS provides both the airport and the airlines with vital, real-time operational information. “It’s more than just cameras,” says Fong. “The system is proactively tracking the turnaround process for every aircraft on stand. If its registers that something is going off schedule, it will alert the IAC and allow the team to intervene.” These intelligent alerts, based on 22 turnaround milestones, allow the airline teams to take action to avoid something escalating. Catering truck running late? Find out why and reallocate resources accordingly. Tug not on stand? The system will automatically flag it for resolution.

The sky bridge - courtesy of Hong Kong International Airport

For a long time, the industry has talked about the value of data, but Hong Kong is living that promise. “We’re showing what’s possible when you share, enjoy and make use of data. It’s a convergence of the entire airport operation, from ground handling to the airlines and air traffic control.” And this is just the beginning. It all forms part of the airport’s 10-year technology roadmap, dubbed Airport 4.0. “We are harnessing technology not for show, but because we want to transform the airport operation, to be more efficient, more environmentally sustainable and less reliant on manual intervention.”

We are harnessing technology not for show, but because we want to transform the airport operation.

Fong sees sustainability and automation as key pillars of that vision. “Sustainability is vital to our long-term development,” he says. The airport has pledged to achieve net zero carbon by 2050, but has its own interim goal of cutting emission by 55% by 2035 from a 2018 baseline, which includes the electrification of every airside vehicle. “In every decision we must consider the carbon impact. If we cannot eliminate the emissions in the short term, we need to make sure we’re getting the greatest ‘value’ from those emissions as possible.”

If we cannot eliminate the emissions in the short term, we need to make sure we’re getting the greatest ‘value’ from those emissions as possible.

Similarly, the goal is to reduce reliance on people for repetitive and labour-intensive tasks through the introduction of autonomous vehicles. Fong admits this is more challenging in some areas than others but cites cargo ground movements as one possible example; “They often need to be towed to the other end of the airfield. It’s a long and monotonous 40-minute journey there and another 40-minute back. That is something that could be done by an autonomous tow while being tracked in real-time by the IAC. It then frees up those people to do more worthwhile tasks.”

We’re showing what’s possible when you share, enjoy and make use of data. It’s a convergence of the entire airport operation.

Talking to Fong it’s clear the airport doesn’t just want to be the most technologically advanced hub anywhere in the world, but to also shift the entire paradigm in terms of how airports operate. Given what they’ve already achieved, you’d need to be brave to bet against them.