World Journey Awards, the main authority that recognises and rewards excellence in tourism, has revealed its Asia and Oceania 2021 winners.
Hong Kong Worldwide Airport (HKIA) has a lot to rejoice, having been recognised as among the many greatest within the area by voters.
Right here Breaking Journey Information speaks to Vivian Cheung, govt director of airport operations at Hong Kong Worldwide Airport, to learn how it feels to have received.
Breaking Journey Information: Congratulations in your victory on the World Journey Awards – with Hong Kong Worldwide Airport having taken the title of Asia’s Leading Airport. How does it really feel to have received?
Vivian Cheung: We’re honoured to be named because the Asia’s Main Airport within the World Journey Awards for 2 consecutive years.
It’s a testimony to our collective efforts at HKIA in sustaining the wonderful service high quality over time.
Your complete airport group works intently collectively to uphold our professionalism and dedication to sustaining clean and environment friendly operations at HKIA, and offering protected and nice journeys to travellers.
Breaking Journey Information: What was it that separated you out of your opponents on this subject, what was it that caught the attention of voters?
VC: Along with the in depth air community and the distinctive geographical benefit, the continual enhancements at HKIA allow us to tell apart ourselves amongst opponents.
HKIA has been actively making use of newest applied sciences with a view to enhancing passenger expertise and operational effectivity.
We now have been utilizing biometrics and facial recognition applied sciences for the check-in and boarding procedures to offer a touchless and seamless airport journey for our passengers.
Different modern applied sciences resembling 5G infrastructure, digital apron administration system, autonomous electrical tractor and cleansing robots are additionally adopted to additional improve the operation effectivity and passenger expertise at HKIA.
Terminal 1 at HKIA is present process main enhancements to offer passengers with new vibrant experiences.
The enhancement undertaking will introduce new options together with themed boarding areas, a youngsters play space within the restricted space, in addition to a devoted leisure zone that includes new applied sciences for travellers, and a brand new roof backyard for passengers to calm down in inexperienced, open-air areas.
The Sky Bridge, the world’s longest airside bridge beneath development at HKIA that connects Terminal 1 and the North Satellite tv for pc Concourse, will considerably cut back passengers’ travelling time between the 2 buildings and contributes to the relentless drive for service excellence at our airport.
HKIA has been dealing with the world’s highest worldwide air cargo quantity since 1996.
HKIA’s state-of-the-art services, excessive effectivity and reliability, in depth connectivity, particular items dealing with functionality, coupled with Hong Kong’s free port standing and streamlined customs course of, give Hong Kong a robust aggressive benefit within the world provide chain.
Prescription drugs is a key progress space within the air cargo enterprise.
The Covid-19 pandemic is driving an enormous demand for vaccines transportation.
Beginning February, HKIA has been dealing with the cargo of various Covid-19 vaccines.
HKIA is among the few airports on the planet to be recognised by the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) as a Associate Airport of IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Impartial Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma).
The accreditation validates that HKIA, along with all three cargo terminals, all three ramp dealing with operators, and the home-based provider, Cathay Pacific, have the experience to deal with all the airside pharmaceutical transportation course of end-to-end, from the time an plane lands to releasing the prescription drugs to brokers, and vice versa.
All three cargo terminals at HKIA have additionally attained World Well being Organisation (WHO)‘s Good Distribution Practices for Pharmaceutical Merchandise Certification.
Regardless of the affect on air site visitors attributable to the pandemic, HKIA has spared no effort in creating long run infrastructure and enhancing present services as a part of our preparation for air journey restoration.
Varied tasks are within the pipeline, resembling the development of the Three-runway System which is nearly equal to constructing a brand new airport subsequent to the present one, and an array of works beneath the Airport Metropolis developments.
We stay assured within the long-term prospects of the aviation business.
Breaking Journey Information: How helpful are accolades such because the World Journey Awards on the subject of selling Hong Kong Worldwide Airport?
VC: It’s a prestigious recognition of our efforts in enhancing the passengers expertise and reaffirms HKIA’s place as a number one worldwide hub.
Breaking Journey Information: What do we’ve got to sit up for from the airport because the tourism market in China steadily recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic – what headlines can we anticipate from the approaching months?
VC: To additional reinforce our standing as a number one worldwide aviation hub, HKIA is creating into an Airport Metropolis which not solely manages flows of passengers and cargo, however an entity with novel capabilities together with retail and leisure, tourism, conference and exhibition, amongst others.
HKIA is creating right into a Three-runway System (3RS).
Apart from the development of a brand new runway, the undertaking features a collection of help services resembling an expanded Terminal 2, a brand new T2 Concourse, new automated individuals mover and baggage dealing with methods.
The brand new runway has its pavement accomplished and is anticipated to begin operations in 2022.
Upon its completion, the present north runway shall be closed for reconfiguration.
With the focused completion of all the 3RS in 2024, the quantum leap in capability will allow HKIA to cater for the long-term air site visitors demand and strengthen its standing as a global aviation hub.
Skycity is an integral a part of the Airport Metropolis improvement, which homes the biggest built-in complicated for retail, eating and leisure services in Hong Kong.
Finishing in phases from 2022 to 2025, the 11 Skies complicated will introduce over 800 outlets with greater than 120 eating ideas and Hong Kong’s largest indoor leisure space.
There may even be three Grade A workplace buildings, catering specifically for corporations offering wealth administration in addition to wellness and medical companies.
The primary lodge in Skycity, Regala Skycity Lodge, is scheduled to open this yr, offering round 1,200 rooms.
HKIA gives handy land and sea connections to and from the GBA for passengers to benefit from the in depth flight community of HKIA.
To make the switch journey at HKIA much more seamless, development of a brand new switch terminal, the Skypier Terminal, and a bonded bridge-link has began.
It can enable switch passengers travelling on the HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) to enter the airport’s restricted space instantly, with out having to go through immigration procedures in Hong Kong.
Upon completion of this undertaking in 2022, passengers who’ve obtained boarding passes and checked of their baggage at our distant terminals within the GBA could proceed on to the boarding gates, as if they’re utilizing their native airport.
By way of the transformation into an Airport Metropolis, HKIA is focused to grow to be a brand new landmark for each travellers and native guests, and an engine driving the financial improvement in HK and the GBA.
Extra Data
Discover out extra about Hong Kong Worldwide Airport on the official website.
