Hong Kong International Airport’s complete three-runway system began operating on 28 November 2024, when all three runways started simultaneous operation. The Airport Authority’s disclosed estimated construction cost is HK$141.5 billion—not a verified “$18 billion” figure. The new North runway had already entered service in 2022, so the 2024 milestone was the start of full three-runway operations, not the first use of the new runway.
When did Hong Kong Airport’s three-runway system open?
The full Three-Runway System (3RS) was commissioned on 28 November 2024. That date marks the beginning of simultaneous operation of the North, Centre and South runways. It is distinct from the North runway’s earlier start of service in November 2022. The project followed public consultation beginning in 2011 and construction beginning in August 2016. The Hong Kong Government’s commissioning report records the full-system milestone and project timeline.
Runway commissioning also does not mean every passenger facility opened at the same time. Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) describes passenger facilities as being commissioned in phases, alongside the wider project. AAHK’s offering circular connects the planned capacity with a 2035 demand projection and explains the phased-facility context.
How are the three runways used?
In the airport’s normal operating pattern, the North runway handles arrivals, the Centre runway handles departures, and the South runway handles both. This allocation allows three runways to be used together, but it is not an unchanging rule: maintenance and operational requirements can lead the airport to use two runways or just one. The Civil Aviation Department outlines the roles and operating exceptions on its Three-Runway System page.
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The runways extend northeast to southwest. Wind is a major factor in determining the direction aircraft land and take off; aircraft generally operate into the wind. Seasonal patterns are common rather than fixed: easterly winds occur more often in winter, while westerly winds occur more often in summer. The department’s flight-path information identifies areas that may be overflown under particular configurations. A neighborhood should not be assumed to lie under one permanently fixed route.
What does the airport’s “$18 billion” cost claim mean?
AAHK’s 2025 disclosure gives an estimated construction cost of HK$141.5 billion for the 3RS. The title’s “$18 billion” does not specify a currency or cost basis, and the cited primary-source disclosure does not substantiate it. These figures should not be treated as equivalent: the $18 billion wording remains unresolved unless its currency, scope and source are established.
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The authority’s estimate covers more than laying a runway. The project’s seven major elements are:
- Formation of 650 hectares of land.
- A 3,800-metre new runway, taxiways and reconfiguration of the Centre runway.
- A new terminal concourse and apron with 63 aircraft parking positions.
- A 2,600-metre automated people mover.
- A new baggage-handling system.
- Expansion of Terminal 2.
- Supporting airport infrastructure, roads and transport facilities.
The cost and scope are set out in AAHK’s 2025 disclosure. The estimate is for the construction project as described by the authority; it should not be read as a verified figure for a narrower runway-only package.
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What capacity does the system add—and how does that compare with traffic?
Capacity targets, an hourly runway limit and annual traffic totals measure different things. AAHK says the system boosts annual capacity by 50%, with targets of 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo per year. The authority’s commissioning release describes those passenger and cargo targets as intended for about ten years after commissioning. They are capacity goals, not current traffic counts. AAHK’s 2024 commissioning announcement gives the targets and milestone.
Separately, the Civil Aviation Department describes a long-term objective to increase maximum runway capacity from 69 to 102 aircraft movements per hour, with the increase to be made progressively in response to demand. That hourly objective is not a prediction of annual flights. The department sets out the figures on its 3RS information page.
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For comparison, HKIA reported the following actual traffic for fiscal year 2024/25, which ended 31 March 2025:
| Measure | Fiscal 2024/25 reported traffic | Annual capacity target |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 54.9 million | 120 million per year |
| Cargo | 5.0 million tonnes | 10 million tonnes per year |
| Aircraft movements | 373,050 for the fiscal year | Not stated as an annual target; the separate long-term runway objective is expressed per hour |
AAHK reported year-on-year increases of 21.6% in passengers, 10.3% in cargo and 20.5% in aircraft movements for that fiscal year. Those traffic figures come from the authority’s July 2025 annual-results announcement. Annual passenger and cargo throughput should be compared with annual targets; the fiscal-year movement count should not be compared directly with an hourly maximum.
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What the commissioning announcement does—and does not—establish
At the 2024 commissioning ceremony, Hong Kong Chief Executive John KC Lee said the system was “now in operation” and described its role in passenger and cargo flows. That is an official statement made at the ceremony, not an independent assessment of the project’s effects. The commissioning date establishes that the three runways began operating together; the capacity figures describe targets and an objective that depends on demand, not proof that those levels have already been reached.
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