Hong Kong airport restaurants urged to operate 24 hours a day in bid to make overnight travelling more appetising
Bosses say part of renovation and expansion plans will include requirement for airport caterers to be open all hours
Hong Kong International Airport bosses are pressing restaurants in its terminals to open 24 hours a day from late 2019, in a bid to make overnight flights more appealing to passengers and airlines.
Renovations and expansion of dining facilities, which would require catering operators to open around the clock as part of a new contract agreement with the airport operator, could see up to 10 more flights added during quieter overnight hours, in part, to boost business.
Demand for flights in and out of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continues to top record numbers, as the two runways operate at near full capacity, handling more than 1,100 take-offs and landings each day. During the early morning and overnight hours, it is considerably less busy, leaving room for growth to cater to the continued demand for air travel across the region.
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The city’s airport hub was recognised as the world’s best for dining, as voted for by travellers, in the 2018 Skytrax aviation industry awards for the second year in a row.
I couldn’t even get a decent cup of coffee, unless you’re travelling in business class and you can go to the lounge
Steven Yiu Siu-chung, acting deputy director of service delivery at HKIA, said: “Before the opening of the third runway, there is some margin, not a lot, to add some additional flight movements at night time. If additional movements mean more passengers at night time, the requirement for food and beverage at night would also increase. But it would not have a significant demand. We are talking about adding another five to 10 flights [at night].”
Opening restaurants 24 hours a day would make it easier for the Hong Kong Airport Authority, which oversees the day to day running of the transport hub, to convince airlines to launch flights at less convenient hours and, in turn, make it more appealing for travellers who would be less inclined to fly when facilities are typically closed.
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With just two restaurants open all hours, including McDonald's, travellers are left with few options. The demands by the Airport Authority are expected to treble the number of dining options. Typically restaurants would close from 11pm, sometimes later, and reopen from 6am onwards.
Expanded 24-hour dining is expected to be ready by September 2019 when the two phases of redevelopment of the main food hall at the airport are complete.