Asia’s big build

Marnix (Max) Groot provides a snapshot of the major ongoing and planned airport development projects in South East and East Asia.

Asia is a hotspot for infrastucture development projects with China, in particular, in the midst of a programme to upgrade its existing airports and build dozens more to give it the capacity to meet future demand.

This article highlights a selection of projects either under construction and/or in the feasibility and planning stage in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.

CHINA

China has been building and expanding airports unrelentingly since the early 2000s. As the country has been trying to recover from an economic slump, there are no signs of slowing down. Currently, hundreds of airport projects are being executed or planned, including a vast number of regional airports and general aviation facilities.

Major new greenfield projects include Dalian and Xiamen, where the existing airports cannot expand and are being replaced with large-scale offshore airports.

Several other cities, including Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Kunming are building or planning to build a second major airport. Another greenfield project worth mentioning is the plan to build an airport in Suzhou, China’s only city with a population of over 10 million without an airport!

Many of China’s existing major airports are expanding with new runways, passenger terminals, and cargo facilities. Large-scale expansions are currently being planned or constructed at Changsha, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haerbin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanchang, Ningbo, Sanya, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai Pudong, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Urumqi, Xi’an, Xining, and Zhuhai.

As the number of projects in China is too much to cover here in detail, we will focus on a selection of noteworthy projects.

Shanghai Pudong Airport is expected to start the construction of its Phase 4 expansion project later this year. The expansion includes a new 852,600sqm international and domestic terminal (Terminal 3); an integrated transportation centre and multi-storey car parks; hotels and offices; approach roads; and support infrastructure.

Shanghai Airport Group is also advancing the construction of Nantong New Airport, positioned as Shanghai’s third airport. The project, located in Tongzhou District, Jiangsu Province, will feature two parallel runways and a terminal with an initial capacity for 40 million passengers annually.

In the future, two more runways and a boarding satellite will be added, raising Nantong New Airport’s capacity to 80 million passengers annually. Construction is set to begin in 2024, with completion expected between 2026 and 2027.

In April, the construction of Guangzhou’s second airport, Foshan Gaoming International Airport, kicked off, with completion expected by 2027. The $7 billion first phase includes two parallel runways of 3,600 metres and 3,800 metres, a passenger terminal building of 420,000sqm with an annual capacity of 30 million passengers, and cargo facilities.

Additionally, it will be connected to the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang high-speed rail. The addition of a third runway could potentially equip the airport to handle 60mppa by 2050.

While the current Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is expanding to accommodate 80 million annual passengers, the southwestern mega-city is already planning a second major airport to be built between 2026 and 2030.

The first phase of Chongqing Zhengxing Airport will cost $7 billion and includes two runways and a terminal building with a capacity of 40 million annual passengers. When fully completed, the new airport will have three to four runways, boast a capacity of up to 80mppa, and be capable of handling aircraft such as the A380-800 and B777-9. It is, however, expected to start life as a domestic only airport before being developed into a regional aviation and cargo hub.

In the northern port city of Dalian, construction is underway on the $4.3 billion offshore Dalian Jinzhou Bay Airport. Being built on 21 square kilometres of reclaimed land, it is scheduled for completion in 2035 and will replace Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport.

The project’s first phase includes the construction of two 3,600-metre runways, along with a 550,000sqm passenger terminal with a capacity of 43 million annual passengers. Upon full completion, the airport will have four runways and an expanded terminal, serving up to 80 million passengers annually. It will also be capable of handling one million tonnes of cargo per annum.

In the southeastern port city of Xiamen, work is underway on the $2.1 billion first phase of the offshore Xiamen Xiang’an International Airport. The first phase will include two 3,600 and 3,800-metre runways and a passenger terminal offering 580,000sqm of floor space and boasting 78 contact stands.

It will initially be equipped to accommodate 45 million passengers and 750,000 tons of cargo per annum. Later, two more runways and two more passenger terminals will be added, increasing its capacity to 85mppa and two million tonnes of cargo.

In Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Airport is in the final phase of its massive $18 billion expansion project, which includes a third runway, which opened in July 2022, and a new boarding concourse, which is currently under construction and expected to open in June 2025.

The 283,000sqm boarding concourse has 34 contact stands and 23 remote stands. It will be connected to the terminal by means of a 2,600 metre long automated people mover (APM) system.

Terminal 2, which initially only had check-in facilities, shops and restaurants, will be upgraded to a full-service processing terminal. The expansion will raise the airport’s capacity by 30 million passengers yearly to 104mppa.

In the longer-term, Hong Kong International Airport is expected to handle 120 million passengers and a huge 9 million tonnes of cargo annually.

Near neighbour, Macau International Airport, also has ambitions to grow and is set to embark on an expansion project to raise the airport’s annual capacity from 10 to 13 million passengers with additional remote boarding gates and an expanded taxiway system. The land reclamation project required for the project is expected to start in the second half of 2024, with completion expected in 2029. In a later development phase, the gateway’s capacity could be expanded to 15mppa.

MALAYSIA

Although traffic numbers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport are still well below its 75mppa capacity – it welcomed 47.2 million passengers in 2023 – the airport has plans in place to almost double its capacity to 140mppa should there be a significant upturn in traffic in the coming years.

Elsewhere in Malaysia’s capacity city, Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport, which functioned as the city’s main airport until KLIA opened in 1998, is to be redeveloped into an international airport supporting intra-Asian business connections, mirroring airports such as Taipei Songshan and Seoul Gimpo.

These plans include raising the capacity of the airport’s passenger terminal from 1.5 to 3 million passengers per annum, and possibly up to 8mppa with future development.

Outside of the capital, Penang International Airport is about to start a terminal expansion project to double the gross floor area of the passenger terminal to 115,000sqm, effectively raising its capacity to 12mppa. Scheduled for completion in Q2 2028, the project will allow for the addition of six contact stands, bringing the total number of stands to 18. There are also plans to add six remote stands and a new multi-storey car park with an additional 1,700 parking bays.

In the tourist destination of Kota Kinabalu, focus has switched to upgrading the existing airport after environmental concerns caused the government to shelve plans for a new gateway. As a result, there are now plans in place to lengthen the airport’s 3,780-metre runway and increase the terminal’s capacity from 9mppa to 12mppa by 2026. In the long-term (2044), the capacity will be further increased to 21mppa.

In May 2024, local authorities announced plans to construct a new international airport for Kuching, as the current airport cannot be expanded beyond its current footprint. The existing Kuching International Airport (KIA) may be repurposed for chartered jets or private planes. Extensive studies must be conducted to determine whether this project is desirable and feasible.

Meanwhile, Kota Bharu International Airport is finalising a project to expand its passenger terminal. The project involves adding a wing with five additional boarding bridges and a 1,300 vehicle capacity parking garage. Next up will be a 400 metre expansion to the airport‘s 2,000 metre long runway after the $93 million project was approved in May 2024.

Finally, in Kedah in northwest Malaysia, the state government is looking for investors and approval from the central government to build Kulim International Airport, a.k.a. the Kedah Aerotropolis project, a cargo and logistics-focused airport and associated airport city development.

At the time of writing, the Kedah government was in talks with the Chinese Henan Airport Group about potentially financing the $1.6 billion first phase of the project.

INDONESIA

With traffic booming again it seems likely to be only a matter of time before airport operator Angkasa Pura II, updates and relaunches its pre-COVID plan to build a fourth passenger terminal at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The original plan for the terminal, designed by Grimshaw, was for a 300,000sqm passenger terminal capable of handling 45mppa, which would have raised the gateway’s capacity to around 110 million.

Meanwhile, to address long-term growth in Jakarta, there are proposals to build a second airport on a 3,000-hectare site about 50 kilometres southwest of Jakarta that could handle around 70 million passengers per annum.

In Bali, Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport is planning to expand its capacity from 24 million to 32 million passengers per annum. The expansion includes the enlargement of the departure hall and security area, and increasing the number of gates. This growth is expected to be sufficient until around 2031 or 2032, after which the new North Bali Airport will be developed.

Discussed since 2015, if the North Bali Airport does come to fruition, it is expected to have an annual capacity of 32 million passengers, making it Indonesia’s second-largest airport.

According to existing designs, which are likely to be revised in Phase 1, the airport will initially feature a single 4,100 metre runway, a 230,000sqm passenger terminal, a cargo terminal, a maintenance area, and a seaport. Later, a second runway can be added.

Batam’s Hang Nadim International Airport is also in line for an upgrade with construction work starting on its new Terminal 2, which could open as early 2026.The project, part of a larger $370 million development plan for the airport, involves an investment of approximately $148 million in its first phase.

Terminal 2 will cover 50,000sqm and is designed to handle up to 9.6 million passengers annually. A consortium that includes PT Batam International Airport, PT Angkasa Pura I, Incheon International Airport Corporation, and PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk is developing the terminal. Future enhancements include a new apron to increase the airport’s capacity.

Another interesting project is the construction of Nusantara Airport, which will serve Indonesia’s future capital, located on the east coast of Borneo. With an investment of $261 million, Phase 1 includes a 3,000-metre runway and a 7,350sqm passenger terminal that will initally only serve guests of the state. Long-term, the airport could eventually be expanded to handle 30 million annual passengers.

SINGAPORE

In 2025, Changi Airport will start constructing its new $10 billion Terminal 5, which will raise its capacity by 50 million to about 135 million passengers per annum.

The terminal, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and Heatherwick Studio, has been designed with the “airport as a city” concept in mind, with each area viewed as a “series of neighbourhoods” with their own character. The terminal is expected to be operational by the mid-2030s.

Terminal 5 is part of the Changi East mega-development – its 1,080-hectare site is almost as big as the land area of today’s Changi Airport – which will provide future capacity for Singapore’s gateway to the world.Operator, Changi Airport Group (CAG), has stated that it wants Terminal 5 to be green and sustainable beyond today’s standards in line with its commitment to being a sustainability pioneer.

MONGOLIA

A study to expand and enhance the capacity of Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar will begin in June 2024 and is expected to be completed by January 2025. Opened in July 2021, the airport has a 3,600-metre runway and a 3mppa passenger capacity terminal, which can be expanded to 12 million passengers annually. The airport is expected to welcome 2.2 million passengers this year, up from 1.75 million last year.

Mongolia is also hoping to build a new commercial airport near Kharkhorum in the centre of the country. The airport is part of a much larger undertaking to build a new city – New Kharkhorum – to reduce pressure and congestion in Ulaanbaatar, which is now home to more than half of the country’s population and is home to most of its economic activity and civic infrastructure. The project is now in the feasibility stage.

More definite are Mongolian government plans to upgrade Choibalsan, Gurvansaikhan and Hovd airports. The upgrades to ICAO category 4C (Choibalsan and Hovd) and 4D (Gurvansaikhan) include extending runways and enhancing passenger facilities. The projects
will be executed in PPP formats.

SOUTH KOREA

By the end of 2024, Incheon International Airport will complete the $3.5 billion expansion of Terminal 2, which will increase Incheon’s capacity from the current 77 million passengers per annum to 106mppa.

With this, Incheon will become one of the world’s largest airports in terms of passenger capacity. But it doesn’t end there; Incheon is currently planning a fifth round of expansion, including a third passenger terminal and fifth runway.

Another notable development is a $900 million project to modernise Terminal 1, which is over 20 years old. The renovation will commence in April next year and is expected to be completed by June 2033. A new cargo terminal with an annual capacity of 140,000 tons is also set to open at Incheon Airport in 2027. This addition will significantly increase the airport’s cargo handling capacity from the current 280,000 tons annually to an expected 420,000 tons.

Another major undertaking in South Korea is the new offshore Gadeok International Airport near Busan, the country’s second-largest city.

The $9.8 billion airport is set to open by the end of 2029 and have facilities that include a single 3,500-metre runway, a 17mppa capacity passenger terminal and cargo facilities capable of handling up to 286,000 tonnes of cargo per annum. Work on the terminal design will commence during the second half of this year.

Elsewhere, there are plans to build a new airport in Daegu to replace the city’s existing gateway by 2030. Construction of the new airport, which will accommodate both civilian and military aircraft, is expected to start in 2025.

Upon opening, the new airport – which will serve South Korea’s fourth largest city – is expected to have a single 3,200 metre runway, a 10mppa capacity passenger terminal, and an airport city development focused on cargo and logistics. A high-speed rail will also connect the new airport to western Daegu and Uiseong. Additional runways and terminals can be added later according to demand.

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, expects work to start this year on the new $604 million Saemangeum International Airport ahead of its scheduled opening in 2028. The airport will initially have a 2,500-metre long runway and a single passenger terminal.

Another gateway with big plans is Cheongju International Airport, which is considering building a new international passenger terminal. The airport also wants to add a civilian-exclusive runway – the current runway is shared with the military – and enhance its commercial facilities, and duty-free shops. This expansion aims to prepare Cheongju International Airport for a more significant regional role in support the broader tourism industry.

Finally, in Jeju Island, a popular tourist destination, there are plans to build a second airport to supplement the existing Jeju International Airport. The $5.1 billion project, which has been under discussion for years, will include a 3,200-metre runway and passenger terminal equipped to accommodate up to 19 million passengers annually. The project is currently in the planning phase.

JAPAN

The largest airport project in Japan in the coming decade will be the complete revamp of Tokyo’s Narita International Airport based on the creation of a 100-gate mega terminal, the first phase of which is expected to open in the early 2030s.

The project will merge the three existing terminals and significantly increase space for aircraft. The eastern half of the terminal is expected to be completed between 2030 and 2034, with the rest to be built based on air travel demand. The building will offer up to 1.15 million square metres of floor space and 30 additional aircraft parking bays, taking the total to around 190.

Tokyo Narita’s airfield capacity will also be significantly expanded with a new 3,500-metre Runway C and the extension of the existing Runway B from 2,500 to 3,500 metres. These projects are scheduled to be completed by 2029. Upon completion of all the projects, the airport will be capable of handing 75 million passengers per annum – 25 million more than today.

Tokyo’s Haneda Airport is also expanding, with construction work recently beginning on a new satellite facility north of Terminal 1. The 21,000sqm satellite, which is expected to be in use by the summer of 2026, will boast six gates equipped with boarding bridges.

Haneda is also considering a plan to connect its two major terminals, creating a new international terminal processor above the Shuto Expressway, which runs between the terminals. If realised, this plan is expected to significantly improve convenience for passengers transferring between domestic and international flights and alleviate congestion in Terminal 3. Preliminary studies are currently underway.

In Osaka, recently completed renovation and extension works have increased the capacity of Kansai International Airport (KIX) from 23 to 40 million passengers per annum.

However, in 2023, Kansai handled 41.5 million passengers, and more expansion will be necessary. The airport’s master plan allows for the construction of a third major passenger terminal opposite Terminal 1, but this may still be a few years away as operator, Vinci Airports, is likely to look at optimising operations across KIX’s existing facilities before investing in the new terminal.

In Sapporo, the city’s downtown Okadama Airport is considering upgrading its terminal either through an expansion project or reconstructing the existing layout and design. A basic plan, to be finalised in the fiscal year 2024, will detail the scale and cost of the project which the airport is aiming to complete by 2030.

A project that is 100% happening is the opening of a new passenger terminal at Kobe Airport, which will be in operation ahead of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai. The so-called “sub-terminal” will have a total floor area of 15,000 to 20,000sqm and effectively double the number of aircraft parking stands at the gateway.

Several airfield expansion projects are ongoing or being planned elsewhere around the country. Fukuoka Airport, for example, plans to open its second 2,500-metre runway in spring 2025; Kitakyushu Airport is to extend its runway to 3,000 metres to strengthen its role as a hub for international cargo transportation; Lengthening the runway at Yakushima Airport will allow it to handle jet aircraft; and Komatsu Airport, located on the western coast of Honshu Island, is considering building a parallel runway, according to its 30-year master plan.

Naga Airport is also planning a $178 million project involving the construction of a new 2,000 runway with a different orientation, in addition to building a new passenger terminal, and a larger apron to accommodate more and larger aircraft.

CHINESE TAIPEI

One of Asia’s largest airport construction projects is the addition of a new Terminal 3 and a third runway at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport by 2027.

Set to open in phases with the north concourse being inaugurated in mid-2025, the new 640,000sqm terminal is expected to increase the airport‘s capacity from 45 to 82 million passengers annually. While the new 3,700-metre third runway will raise the gateway’s airfield capacity from 50 to 90 aircraft movements per hour when it opens in 2030.

In the south of the country, Kaohsiung Airport is preparing to build a new passenger terminal, with construction slated to start in 2025. The new terminal will be built in phases, starting with a new 8mppa capacity building on the east side of the existing international terminal. In the final stage, set to be completed in 2040, the airport’s capacity will have doubled to 16.5 million passengers per annum.

THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is going through a dynamic growth phase, with various airport upgrade projects planned or underway. Most investment focuses on Manila, where, if all they all come off – including the more long-term projects – the combined capacity of the airports will be a staggering 375 million passengers per annum.

So what are these projects? As part of a $3 billion upgrade, there are now confirmed plans for a new passenger terminal at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according the San Miguel Corp-led consortium, which has won the 15-year operations and maintenance contract for the airport.

Designed to accommodate up to 35 million passengers annually, the new terminal will raise the airport’s capacity to 62mppa. Its development will result in relocating all offices from the current terminals to the new building, freeing up 30% more space in Terminals 1, 2, and 3, which will be renovated. Construction of the new terminal is anticipated to take around three years, with plans to commence building within six months after receiving the necessary approvals.

In order to focus on Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the San Miguel Corp (SMC) decided to delay the development of the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan. Originally planned to start in 2025, it has been postponed to 2026, but Momberger Airport Information expects more delays.

The first phase of the $14.5 billion project, to be built on artificial land 35km north of Manila, will include two runways, a passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 35 million passengers, and an airport city development. Depending on demand, two more runways and two more passenger terminals can be added, increasing its total capacity to in excess of 100 million passengers per annum.

Due to the recent award of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport concession to SMC, another major project to build a new airport for Manila, Sangley Point Airport, has been put on hold for now, but perhaps indefinitely. Its $4 billion first phase, to be built on reclaimed land, outlines plans for a single runway and a 25mppa capacity passenger terminal. If demand materialises, three additional runways could potentially be added, along with extra terminal capacity to theoretically accommodate up to 30mppa.

Clark International Airport, which also serves Metro Manila, plans to invest $121 million on the construction of a second runway, taxiways, aprons, and landside access roads and utilities. In addition, UPS is establishing a new hub at Clark. Construction is set to begin in February 2025, with operations expected to commence by late 2026.

The airport has also announced plans to construct a $152-million agriculture trading hub within the Clark civil aviation complex, aiming to make it the largest food hub in the Philippines.

According to the master plan, the passenger terminal can be expanded to handle 30 million passengers annually. In the long-term, a third runway and two more passenger terminals can be added, increasing the airport’s capacity to accommodate up to 80mppa.

Other projects around the country include new airports planned or under construction at Bukidnon, Barangay Tambo, and Pangasinan. Major planned greenfield projects include the $292 relocation of Dumaguete’s airport, the $142 relocation of Masbate airport, and the relocation of Cotabato airport.

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About the author

Marnix (Max) Groot is managing editor of Momberger Airport Information, a bi-weekly executive newsletter providing market intelligence on airport projects worldwide. Founded in 1973, it is currently the world’s oldest independent airport publication. You can sign up for a free, two-month trial here.