AIRPORTS ARE GROWING everywhere, but nowhere are they expanding as rapidly as in Asia. In fact, passenger and freight traffic has been increasing at such a rate that regional airports can hardly cope with the demand. Existing hubs are continually being improved and new ones planned and built.
In Asia-Pacific, the rise in air traffic is double the global average and in response airports are being upgraded as fast as possible. In fact, this is only the continuation of a process which has already begun - the past decade has seen the completion of major hub-airport projects across the region such as Kansai, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and recently Bangkok.
Since it was completed in 1998, Hong Kong International Airport has become one of the busiest in the world. Last year it handled nearly 41 million passengers and 4million tonnes of cargo, making it comfortably the biggest air transport hub in the region.
The airport employs more than 55,000 people and is growing at 8 per cent to 9 per cent a year. It shows little sign of slowing down.
'The airport will continue to expand. It is a non-stop process,' said Airport Authority Hong Kong commercial director Hans Bakker. 'We are a relatively new industry and the indications are that we will continue expanding.'
The completion of new aircraft hangars is set to provide almost 1,500 new jobs over the next year, with many vacancies in the technical and engineering fields and hundreds of extra jobs on offer as a result of extra cargo handling.
Hundreds of new jobs will also be provided by the opening of the airport's second terminal, also known as Sky Plaza, which is scheduled to take place before the end of this year. More than 1,500 jobs will be generated by retail and catering requirements alone.
High-flying graduates will be recruited into the airport authority's SkyLeaders Development Programme. Last September saw the first batch of 10 management trainees on this programme, including fresh graduates from Hong Kong and Chinese universities.
Selected from 2,000 local and mainland applicants, these successful recruits will undergo a comprehensive management training scheme for two years before joining different units within the airport authority.
'We are reaching out to secure new talent, and these management trainees will be the future leaders of our industry,' Mr Bakker said.
Inevitably, the rise of air traffic to and from China has also resulted in extra demand, and the airport is taking steps to ensure that it doesn't miss out.
High-speed ferry services will run to five sea ports in the Pearl River Delta, augmented by more than 200 coach services a day to many other cities in the region. Several million extra passengers are expected via these routes. The planned bridge to Macau and Zhuhai will improve links further.
'Our philosophy is to create a fusion of land, air and sea modalities, an 'airport city', with Sky Plaza as the city centre. The traditional term is a 'crossroads', and essentially that is what we will be,' Mr Bakker said.
Other local airports such as Macau, Zhuhai and Guangzhou are being upgraded to capitalise on regional growth. And Hong Kong International Airport welcomes the challenge.
'Really, we love the competition as we can all grow together. We intend to retain our market share, and that is why we are investing heavily in hardware and software to remain the best airport in the Pearl River Delta,' Mr Bakker said.
Macau International Airport, which came into operation in 1995, is also enjoying a boom in airport growth. Last year it handled 4.25 million passengers - 14per cent growth compared with 2004. Cargo handling has also increased and is set to double with the imminent completion of a new cargo terminal.
'We are still enjoying a satisfactory passenger growth rate and we are expecting to reach 4.7million by the year end,' said the airport executive director and director of marketing, Liu Suning.
'And in the coming years we are expecting a steady and sustained growth as Macau's gaming and tourism industries develop,' she said.
The airport is serving 20 major cities in Asia and the mainland with a total of 1,038 flights weekly.
There are multiple daily flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and daily flights to Singapore and Manila.
Macau International Airport is expanding its routes network to other parts of Asia, especially Japan. It has flights to Kagoshima, Fukuoka and Kyushu, and these are expected to increase.Job opportunities, including jobs for Hong Kong and the surrounding region, are expected to grow as there are insufficient human resources locally.
'It's public knowledge that Macau lacks manpower in different fields. The airport needs trained or qualified staff in many areas, be it catering, passenger services and handling. We're also creating chances for university graduates to get involved,' Ms Liu said.
key players
Air traffic control
Retail and sales
Business and logistics
Construction and architecture
Operations
Engineering
Security
Jargon
Apron Hard surfaced area used for the landing and taking off of aircraft
Airbridge Corridor attached to the plane door to enable people to board or disembark between the aircraft and terminal building
Fast Track An express transit facility available to First and Business Class passengers
Carousel A circulating conveyor belt on which baggage is delivered
Slot Set time assigned to a flight for take-off and landing
Holding Bay Area of the airport where planes are held until they have permission to take off