Coronavirus: as Covid-19 batters travel, Hong Kong International Airport to close one runway
- Airport Authority says north runway will cease operations for regular maintenance and construction work from April 8, ‘until further notice’
- The small number of passenger flights still operating have been consolidated into the main terminal
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will close one of its two runways from next week, because of a collapse in air traffic of about 90 per cent caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A circular from the Airport Authority, which runs HKIA, cited a need to close the north runway for regular maintenance and construction work, from April 8 “until further notice”.
The north runway was not due to be closed until 2022, when the under-construction third runway, part of a HK$141.5 billion expansion, is ready.
The small number of passenger flights still operating have been consolidated into the main terminal, with all other buildings closed. The unused remote terminal buildings and surplus parking stands in the main building are being used to park grounded planes instead. Many taxiways across HKIA have also been requisitioned to hold the grounded planes.
Some of the biggest and busiest airports in the world, also feeling the impact of the coronavirus on air travel, have taken similar measures, or, like in the case of Dubai, were forced to close passenger flights on government orders.
HKIA is handling on average between 40 and 50 departing passenger flights daily, down from about 550 to 600. Cargo flights remain busy with the surge in demand for medical supplies from China.