Hong Kong has emerged as a major aviation hub in recent years. An explosive growth of airlines and addition of Chinese carriers after the unification has resulted in Hong Kong being preferred destination of many tourists. Those seeking travel to the West Coast of the United States and Canada – along with the countries in the Pacific like Hawaii and Fiji etc. – need to travel to Hong Kong to catch their connecting flights.

Chek Lap Kok Airport – which is the colloquial name of Hong Kong airport – has two main terminals along with baggage reclamation areas, hotels and other facilities. A total of 48.6 million passengers used the airport in 2008 while traveling to over 150 destinations in all corners of the world.

The airport is unique in the sense that it is located on an artificial island that was specifically created for the purpose of building the airport. Hong Kong Airport opened on 6 July, 1998; a second terminal was opened in 2007 but it only deals with the check-in facilities.

Hong Kong Airport has excellent transport connections to different locations in the city. Airport express train offers the speedy connections from both terminals to city centre. Passengers can also take the double-decker public buses; taxis, of course, remain a popular option for travelers.

Hong Kong authorities have taken care of Muslim needs and there are plenty of options in this regard. Prayer rooms for male and female travelers are present in the Terminal 1 of airport. There are actually two non-denominational prayer rooms; one remains open 24 hours a day while the other one remains open during the day and closes at midnight (6 am to 2400).

Prayer Rooms

As Hong Kong Airport has prayer rooms in the Terminal 1, passengers may find it difficult to access this facility if they are in the Terminal 2. Time consumed in checking-in process might reduce the time available for a particular prayer. As both the terminals are interconnected, passengers may have to take time out of the process to travel to Terminal 2 via the internal rail system to offer their prayers.

The direction for prayer rooms can be found from the friendly airport staff. Additionally, passengers can also use the direction signs for this purpose. In case of any difficulty in finding the prayer rooms, please ask the nearest customer services centre for details. Prayer rooms’ locations are as follows:

• Check-in Hall, Level 7, near Aisle A (Service Hours : 06:00 - 24:00)

Prayer room is located in the check-in hall of Terminal 1 on Level 7. Passengers might find it a little difficult in locating the room however they can first find Aisle A and then ask for direction from the airport staff.

There is no gender segregation in this room and men and women pray together. There are attached washrooms that are equipped with foot stools for completing Wudhu . Qiblah directions are clearly marked in this room. As the room is located in the non-restricted area, passengers can use this facility as long as they are not called for the departure lounge.

• Arrival Lounge, Level 6, Terminal 1 (Service Hours : 24 hours)

The second prayer room is located in the Arrivals Lounge, in the restricted region. It is relatively easy to find this room as it is located near Gate 42. And directions are provided. The non-denominational prayer room has ablution facilities and direction for Qiblah. There is no gender segregation in this room

• North Satellite Concourse: Level 5, near Gate 501 (Service Hours : 24 hours)

The third is North Satellite Concoures in the restricted region.

Halal Dining

Hong Kong is the melting pot of world cuisines as passengers from all over the planet use this facility. Passengers, however, find it relatively hard to find Halal cuisine.

Popeyes Chicken - Biscuits (Departures Check-in Hall, Level 7: 06:00 - 23:00) serves Halal Food in Terminal 1

The SkyCity Bistro at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriot Hotel adjoining the Hong Kong International Airport is a Halal Certified restaurant

Transport

Hong Kong Airport has excellent transport connections with both the Kowloon and Victoria Harbour besides transport links to mainland China. Airport Express Train is a special commuter rail that transports passengers to and from the airport to Central in just under 24 minutes. There is an interval of 12 minutes between trains and they continue running from 0550 hrs to 0115 hrs.

Passengers can also avail the free In-town Check-in in Kowloon and Hong Kong Stations. This saves a significant amount of time and passengers can spend those extra hours in shopping, dining or simply exploring the airport.

Double-decker public buses are the cost effective solution though they take some extra time. They continue plying between the city centre and airport from 6 am to midnight. Many passengers opt for taxis as they find it as the comfortable and 24/7 link between the city and the airport.

There are three types of taxis that serve particular areas in the city and mainland China. Urban taxis (Red) serve the city, New Territories taxis (Green) serve new territories and parts of Lantau and Lantau taxis (Blue) serve the Lantau region. Hong Kong Airport Authority offers transit options for the disabled travelers. Rehabus are special vehicles that can be booked for any location from the airport.

Shopping

Hong Kong is the shopping capital of South East Asia and travelers realize this fact as soon as they enter the Hong Kong Airport. There are plenty of restaurants, food courts, coffee shops and fast food joints located in both public and transit areas of the airport. Please read the Halal dining section to find out the Halal Food outlets at the Hong Kong Airport.

Both airport terminals are studded with TV screens that display information about weather, stocks and financial market and general entertainment programs. Additionally, there is an airport facilitation service where people can learn about the flight schedules. Some of them also display advertisements of the shops and restaurants present at the airport terminals.

Terminal 2 is more equipped with modern entertainment features than Terminal 1, as it has only recently been opened. Entertainment includes a 4D Extreme Screen theatre that can accommodate up to 360 guests. A one-of-its-kind in Asia, this theatre runs all the popular movies and documentaries. Aviation Discovery Centre is located in this terminal where people can enjoy a life-like experience of flying aero planes, including motion-ride flight simulators.

Asia Hollywood is a complete film studio with all the features that can be found in any American film location. Sports simulators, LAN gaming and Xbox360/ Playstation 3 facilities are available in both terminals.

SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course is also located on Terminal 2 that offers all the facilities present in any professional golf course.

Hong Kong Airport has two major shopping centres with each terminal boasting of a great variety of products of all types and denominations. Passengers can buy electronic equipment, apparel, books and magazines, beauty products and jewellery from outlets present in these shopping centres.

Duty free shops are located in both terminals and passengers can enjoy tax recovery facilities by filling out the relevant forms available in all stores.

Money Changers

There are ample facilities for currency exchange in both terminals of Hong Kong Airport along with ATM machines.

Terminal 1 - Transit Area

• Citibank (Departures East Hall, Level 6: 24 hours)
• Standard Chartered (Departures East Hall, Level 6: 24 hours)
• HSBC (Departures East Hall, Level 6: 24 hours)
• Travelex (Departures East Hall, Level 6: 06:30 - 00:30)

• China Construction Bank (Arrivals Meeters & Greeters Hall, Level 5: 24 hours)
• Bank of China (Departures Check-in Hall, Level 7: 24 hours)
• HSBC (Arrivals Meeters & Greeters Hall, Level 5: 24 hours)

Terminal 2 - Public Area

• AeON - SPOT (Shop 112, Level 3: 0600 - 1800)
• Bank of China (Shop 043A, Level 3: 24 hours)
• HSBC (Shop 016, Level 6: 2233 3000
• Travelex (Departures Check-in Hall, Level 7: 06:30 - 23:30)

Baby strollers are available for rent from the airport services counters. Additionally, nursing rooms are available in both terminals for passengers traveling with young ones; 19 of these are located in Terminal 1 while 5 are located in Terminal 2. Contact the nearest Facilitation Centres for more information.

Hong Kong Airport offers accommodation facilities for transit passengers as well as regular travelers. Regal Airport Hotel is located near Terminal 1 and there is an air-conditioned bridge that connects the two buildings. The hotel boasts of 171 rooms along with conference and meeting facilities.

Passengers can subscribe with the SkyClub, a special membership that entitles travelers to avail different facilities of the airport at affordable rates.