Hong Kong airport receives 400 mainland Chinese applications for ‘Park and Fly’

Hong Kong airport authorities have received about 400 applications for new automated parking facilities opening next week, which will allow mainland Chinese visitors to leave their vehicles and arrive at the check-in counters for overseas flights within half an hour.

The Airport Authority on Wednesday showcased its fully automated “Park and Fly” car park located within the restricted area of the city’s port at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

The five-storey facility, offering 1,800 parking spaces, is a key component of the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles” scheme, which aims to enhance connectivity within the Greater Bay Area.

The bay area is a central government scheme to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in neighbouring Guangdong province into an economic and business powerhouse.

The facility will officially open on November 15. It started accepting reservations from mainland residents earlier this month, with applicants from Macau able to make reservations from Thursday.

Horace Chan Chi-ho, the authority’s general manager for landside, led a walk-through of the parking bay, showing how the automated vehicle storage system could park vehicles in less than five minutes. He said this could provide a “seamless” experience and offer more choices for travellers.