Gate numbering at Hong Kong International Airport (updated for 2023!)

Gate numbers at airports is something taken as a given by passengers – you get told which one your flight is leaving from, and you make sure you get there on time! However the other day I was taking a look at a map of Hong Kong International Airport, and came to an interesting discovery – gate numbering doesn’t have to be sequential or logical.

Looking north past the gates at the Midfield Concourse

What gates do exist?

The Wikipedia page for Hong Kong International Airport has this to say about the gates:

The airport has a total of 90 boarding gates, with 77 jet bridge gates (1–21, 23–36, 40–50, 60–71, 201–219) and 12 virtual gates (228–230, 511–513, 520–525) which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft by apron buses.

So why are the gate numbers non sequential, and jump all the way from 1 to 500? The airport map has part of the answer.

Gates 1 through 80 are located in the main T1 terminal building.

Overview of Hong Kong International Airport

Gates 13 through 21 are located in the T1 Satellite Concourse, accessed via the Sky Bridge from the main terminal.

Gates in the 2xx range are in the Midfield Concourse, accessed by the automated people mover system.

Midfield Concourse at Hong Kong International Airport now open for use

And gates in the 5xx range are located out on the airfield, accessed by shuttle bus from the main terminal.

Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-941 B-LRO parked at a remote bay

But what about the gaps in the 1-80 range for the main terminal building?

Thankfully there is a source of truth to consult – the airport aircraft parking / docking chart produced for the use of pilots.

Bay numbers directly correspond to gate numbers, with the following terminal adjacent parking spaces marked:

  • Bays S1 – S4: south concourse
  • Bays N5 – N9: north concourse
  • Bay N10, N12: north side, central concourse
  • Bay S11: south side, central concourse
  • Bay R13 – R21: satellite concourse
  • Bays S23 – S35 (odd): south side, central concourse
  • Bays N24 – N36 (even): north side, central concourse
  • Bays W40 – W50 (even): north side, south west concourse
  • Bays S41 – S49 (odd): south side, south west concourse
  • Bays N60 – N70 (even): north side, north west pier
  • Bays W61 – W71 (odd): south side, north west pier
  • Bays D201 – D219: Midfield Concourse

So how to explain the gates that don’t appear?

Gate 22 just isn’t there.

Gates 37 – 39 were omitted so that the south west concourse numbering could start at 40.

Gates 51 – 59 were omitted so that the north west concourse numbering could start at 60.

Gates 72 – 80 were omitted so that signage in the main terminal would read a nice round ‘gates 1 – 80’.

Gates 2xx were numbered in their own group due to their remote location via the automated people mover.

Gates 5xx received even higher numbers due to the long shuttle bus ride required to access them.

Footnote 1: gate numbers as built

Turns out the gates at Hong Kong International Airport have been renumbered multiple times over the years!

Transfer bus station at the North Satellite Concourse at Hong Kong Airport

Someone posed this question on Wikipedia back in 2006.

Since the Airport’s opening in 1998, the signs in the departure area have read “Gates 1-80”.

However, I found that there are a lot of gates that “didn’t exist”.

Those gates were Gates 9, 14, 20, 37-39, 51-59 and 72-80.

The last time I landed in Hong Kong, I noticed that Gate 20 has been added.

What has happened to all the others? I would really be interested to know.

Kylohk 14:51, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

As did someone else in 2017.

Should there be something to explain where gates 71-80 are? Because it seems that those gates do not exist, despite signs saying gates “33-80”

TheCoffeeAddict 04:08, 9 March 2017 (UTC)

Confused?

Until as late as July 2005 gate 9, 14 and 20 didn’t exist, a gate 22 did, and gates 5 through 21 were in different locations to where they are today.

Footnote 2: gate numbers during the 2010s

In December 2009 the North Satellite Concourse opened, followed in March 2016 by the Midfield Concourse, adding dozens of new gates.

The airport has a total of 90 boarding gates – 78 jet bridge gates (1–4, 15–36, 40–50, 60–71, 201–219, 501–510) and 12 virtual gates (228–230, 511–513, 520–525) which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft by apron buses.

As seen on this airport map from March 2018.

And this was the parking chart.

Again, the bay numbers directly corresponded to gate numbers.

  • Bays E1 – E4: south concourse
  • Bays E15 – E19: north concourse
  • Bays N20 – N36 (even): north side, central concourse
  • Bays S23 – S35 (odd): south side, central concourse
  • Bays W40 – W50 (even): north side, south west pier
  • Bays S41 – S49 (odd): south side, south west pier
  • Bays N60 – N70 (even): north side, north west pier
  • Bays W61 – W71 (odd): south side, north west pier
  • Bays D201 – D219: Midfield Concourse
  • Bays N501 – N510: North Satellite Concourse

And this was the explanation of the gates that didn’t appear.

Gates: 5 – 8 and 10 – 13 were once virtual gates used by shuttle bus passengers – since renumbered as 511 – 513 and 520 – 525 with one gate being shuffled from the ‘north’ to the ‘south’ concourse.

Gate 9 and 14 didn’t fit into the ’10 gates on the north and south concourse’ pattern.

Gate 20: added to the airport after completion, by squeezing in an extra parking bay between gates 15 and 22.

Directional signage to the gates, airline transfer desks and ferries

Clear as mud?

Footnote 3: the 2019 and 2021 gate number shuffles

Just to make things more complicated, in 2019 airport management announced another reshuffling of gate numbers – this time for the new Sky Bridgeconnecting the North Satellite Concourse to the main terminal building.

The renumbering was carried out in two phases – the first in March 2019, when gates 15 to 22 in the main terminal building were renumbered 5 to 12; and the second in March 2021 with the opening of the Sky Bridge, when gates 501 to 510 were renumbered 13 to 21.

Their logic – lower numbers are the closest to the entrance of the restricted area, with numbers increasing as passengers walk further into the terminal.

Footnote 4: back into the aviation charts

The most recent renumbering was advertised to aviators as follows – AIP Amendment No. 2/19 effective 23 May 2019 stating:

These existing stands have been renumbered and will now be referred to as followed below.

E15 -> E5
E16 / E16R -> E6 / E6R
E17 / E17R -> E7 / E7R
E18 -> E8
E19 -> E9
N20 -> N10
N22 / N22R -> N12 / N12R
S21 -> S11

And AIP Amendment No. 7/21 effective 25 March 2021 stating:

Renumbering of Parking Stands N501, N502, N503, N504, N505, N506, N508, N509 and N510 at HKIA

Existing Number
N501 -> R21
N502 -> R20
N503 -> R19
N504 -> R18
N505 -> R17
N506 -> R16
N508 -> R15
N509 -> R14
N510 -> R13

And to make matters more confusing – the phase 2 renumbering as originally proposed had the North Satellite Concourse gates renumbered in reverse order to what they are today.

My head hurts! 🤕

And one final oddity

Before the opening of the Midfield Concourse, passengers to gates 33 – 80 were directed to use the automated people mover instead of walking.

'Next train in 1 minute' - trains run about every 2 to 3 minutes

But today it has been changed to gates 40 – 80 and 201 – 230.

Departing passengers board a westbound train at Terminal 1

Presumably directing four gates of passengers to walk instead taking the automated people mover was to free up capacity for passengers headed to the Midfield Concourse, who don’t have the same option.

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One Response to Gate numbering at Hong Kong International Airport (updated for 2023!)

  1. Fast forward to today, and now every gate number from 1 to 36 exists – the North Satellite Concourse has been renumbered following the completion of the Sky Bridge connecting it to terminal 1.

    https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/media-centre/press-release/2019/pr_1320 

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