Operation familiarisation for flights on the Third Runway, designated as the new North Runway of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), started on July 8 as earlier announced by authorities.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) announced that at a government flying service plane landed as the first flight taking part in the familiarisation on the Third Runway on the morning of Friday, followed by the first commercial flight, a cargo flight from Shanghai Pudong.

In a statement, AAHK said the final preparation for operation familiarisation on the Third Runway and associated taxiways began on the evening of July 7, including a joint inspection by Airport Authority Hong Kong and Civil Aviation Department.

As operation familiarisation commenced on the new runway, it added that the Centre Runway is temporarily closed for reconfiguration as part of the Three-runway System (3RS) development.

Meanwhile, while the Centre Runway is temporarily closed, HKIA will continue to operate as a two-runway system with the new North Runway and the South Runway.

In addition to the Third Runway, the 3RS project comprises the expansion of Terminal 2, development of a new T2 Concourse, Automatic People Mover, and Baggage Handling System, and is targeted to complete in 2024 as scheduled.

Last month, AAHK said the Third Runway is planned to commence operation this year as scheduled.