Jack So (centre right), Chairman of AAHK and Zhang Kui, President of Hong Kong Airlines, flanked by AAHK’s Executive Director, Airport Operations CK Ng, and Ben Wong, COO of Hong Kong Airlines.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) officially opened its HK$10bn/$1.3bn Midfield Concourse (MFC) and auxiliary facilities on Monday as scheduled – with the retail offer to be “gradually introduced” next year.

The 105,000sq m, five-storey MFC is located between the airport’s two existing runways to the west of terminal one and is connected to it with an automated people mover. It has 20 parking stands and a capacity of 10m pax.

On Monday, Jack So, Chairman of HKG’s operator, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), and Zhang Kui, President of Hong Kong Airlines, accompanied by CK Ng, Executive Director, Airport Operations of the AA and Ben Wong, Chief Operating Officer of Hong Kong Airlines officiated at the opening ceremony, and also welcomed the first batch of passengers.

On the retail offer, AA says: “The concourse will gradually introduce restaurants, coffee shops and retail outlets to provide passengers with a one-stop shopping and dining experience.”

On the significance of the concourse, So says: “The MFC is an important development as it will help the airport meet increasing passenger traffic demand. In the past 12 months, Hong Kong International Airport handled 68.2m passengers, marking a year-on-year increase of +8.3%.

“With its capacity to serve an additional 10m passengers every year, the MFC will be able to increase the number of flights using airbridges to board and disembark, enhancing the overall passenger experience.”

AA plans to gradually increase the usage of the MFC in the next few months. It is expected to serve about 20% of daily passenger flights from HKG when operating at full capacity by next March.

Terminal view at gate waiting areas.