SKIDATA Lands Contract at Worlds Most Advanced Airport

Fitting airport parking facilities with modern systems for automated parking access and revenue control is one of the specialities of Austrian-based high-tech specialist SKIDATA. As supplier to clients such as London Heathrow, Munich Airport and Dubai International, the company has achieved worldwide leadership in this market. With Hong Kong International Airport, the most modern and one of the busiest airports in the world has now also decided to have all of its parking facilities fitted with SKIDATA parking management systems.

Constructed on an artificial island off the north shore of Hong Kongs main island Lantau, Hong Kong International (known locally as Chek Lap Kok Airport, after the name of the island) exceeds todays typical international hub airport in almost every respect. The Airport Authoritys Master Plan calls for the construction of a veritable airport city with attractions ranging from business parks to hotels, restaurants and cinemas to exhibition complexes and shopping malls. Hong Kong International will also accommodate railway and ferry services to function as a consolidated public transport gateway to the region. The name for the project is as impressive as the concept behind it: SkyCity. When complete, the complex is expected to attract millions of locals and tourists every year and give a powerful boost to the regions economy.

Apart from the passenger parking facilities with currently around 2,500 parking bays, the areas to be equipped with SKIDATA systems for parking access and revenue control include SkyCity, which is nearing the completion of its first construction phase. This includes AsiaWorld Expo, an international exhibition centre with a visitor car park offering 1,100 bays, as well as the extensive SkyPlaza business and shopping complex, which provides a 3,000-bay car park for visitors and customers.

All functions and procedures at the car parks, including back-office tasks and control of interfaced third-party equipment (such as systems for traffic guidance and surveillance) can be accessed and managed centrally from the control room, which saves costs and reduces reaction times in case a patron needs assistance or a system device requires technical attention. Payment can be made at attended pay points or at any of the seven pay-on.foot machines placed at convenient locations throughout the complex. As a special feature exclusively for Hong Kong, the SKIDATA solution supports the use of the popular local Octopus card, an RFID-based contactless pay card, as well as VEP (VISA Express Payment).

Were happy to be able to contribute to the Hong Kong International Airport project. The operators have chosen a SKIDATA solution because it provides the best support for implementing the airport city concept that they have in mind, says Robert Weiskopf, Executive Board member and head of the Car Access division at SKIDATA. Projects like these also strengthen us in our resolve to reinforce and expand our position in our global target markets, also and especially in Asia.