Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport, which opened in 1998, was the cornerstone of a remarkable 10-part, $20 billion infrastructure development known as the Hong Kong Airport Core Program. The new airport was designed to alleviate some of the congestion associated with Hong Kong’s continuous growth as the center of business for greater Asia, and the commercial gateway to China. The mammoth undertaking involved 4 major sponsors, 10 separate projects, 200 construction contracts, and over 1,000 critical interfaces. A new transportation corridor stretches 34 kilometers from Hong Kong Island to the site of Hong Kong International Airport: a high-speed rail system, two tunnels, two bridges, and a six-lane expressway.

Operations were moved from the existing Kai Tak Airport to Hong Kong International during a single night in July 1998, a task that required the coordinated operation of some 1,200 vehicles and a convoy of barges. Despite the enormous complexity, flight and passenger processing met operational standards before the end of the first week, and cargo operations were on track soon after. An integrated Bechtel-government team delivered its projects on or ahead of schedule and achieved program budget savings of more than $1 billion.