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Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and a written reply by the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Stephen Ip, in the Legislative Council today (March 29) :

Question:

Will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a) the respective average time required currently for transit passengers to complete their transit procedure and to have their luggage conveyed interline at the airport; how these figures compare to those of Chengi International Airport in Singapore, Narita Airport in Japan and the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport in Germany; and

(b) if the authorities concerned have assessed the capability of the passenger flow design and the facilities at the airport at Chek Lap Kok in making Hong Kong a hub for passenger interchange?

Reply:

Madam President,

We have consulted the Airport Authority (AA). Replies to the two parts of this question are as follows -

(a) The actual time taken for the processing of transfer passengers and their baggage depends on a number of factors which vary between airlines and between flights. These factors include whether a transfer passenger has a confirmed seat and boarding pass for the connecting flight before arrival in Hong Kong, the distance between the gate of the incoming flight and that of the connecting flight, the procedures adopted by airlines for processing the baggage of transfer passengers, and the speed of airlines and/or their appointed agents in handling the transfer of passengers and baggage.

In order to ensure a smooth transfer of passengers and baggage between airlines, a Minimum Connecting Time (MCT) has been established by airlines. In brief, the MCT is the shortest time interval required for the processing of the transfer passengers and their baggage between the scheduled arrival of the incoming flight and the scheduled departure of the connecting flight. The MCT for each airport is widely treated by airlines as a guide for the acceptance of transfer passengers, taking into account the factors mentioned above.

The MCT for Changi Airport in Singapore is 60 minutes. For Narita Airport in Japan, which has two passenger terminals, the MCT is 60 minutes for Terminal 1 and 110 minutes for Terminal 2. The MCT for Frankfurt International Airport in Germany is 45 minutes.

For the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the MCT is generally 60 minutes, although it varies between airlines and between flights. In some cases, the MCT is shorter. In other cases, a longer MCT is needed, e.g. when passengers confirm their reservations for the connecting flights upon arrival in Hong Kong and therefore need to clear their baggage through Customs.

(b) Facilities are available at the HKIA to provide a good transfer service. These include the provision of five transfer areas at strategic locations inside the Passenger Terminal Building to facilitate the ticketing of transfer flights, and the provision of six access points so that transfer passengers can quickly move from the arrival level to boarding gates. In addition, the central Baggage Handling System (BHS) is specifically designed to handle transfer baggage. There is also a separate BHS for the quick processing of transfer baggage which requires speedy delivery between connecting flights.

In view of the strong growth of transfer passenger traffic in the past two years, the AA and the airlines concerned are undertaking a review of the facilities for transfer passengers. The review aims to shorten the processing time for transfer passengers and their baggage and to provide better services for them. These efforts will help enhance the competitiveness of the HKIA as a passenger transfer hub.

End/Wednesday, March 29, 2000

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