The Airport Authority will invest $2.2 b to build 16 parking stands at the western end of Hong Kong International Airport, to help meet medium-term demand for more parking spaces.
     Three stands that can cater for new types of aircraft with longer fuselages, such as the B747-8F freighter, have been planned at the West Apron.
     Major construction of the 430,000-sq m site is slated to start mid-year, in two phases.
     In the first phase, nine aircraft parking stands and supporting facilities will be built, including connecting the western airfield tunnel to the cargo area. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
     The second phase that includes the construction of the remaining seven stands should be completed by the end of 2014.
     The West Apron development will accommodate the airport's expected growth in aircraft traffic as the Civil Aviation Department gradually raises the hourly handling capacity of the airport's two runways from the current 62 flights an hour to 68 by 2015.