Hong Kong Airport Sky Bridge: Transport, Assembly, and Installation of the Massive New Pedestrian Bridge

MK timelapse
Oct 9
4 min read

Mobile Timelapse Operation at Hong Kong International Airport

The Hong Kong Airport in Transition

Hong Kong International Airport is one of the world’s most important aviation hubs. Over 70 million passengers use the airport annually, which has been continuously renovated and expanded since its opening in 1998.

Currently, the airport is undergoing major modernization and expansion to accommodate the growing passenger and cargo volumes. The Three-Runway System (3RS) will not only add an additional runway but also expand Terminal 2 with modern baggage handling and an automated people-mover system. These infrastructure projects are part of a plan to increase capacity to around 120 million passengers and 10 million tons of cargo annually. For comparison: Frankfurt Airport handled approximately 62 million passengers in 2024.

As part of this extensive modernization, the Sky Bridge was also planned, a visually striking pedestrian bridge that connects two terminal areas and aims to enhance the travel experience at Hong Kong Airport.

The Sky Bridge - A New Landmark for the Hong Kong Airport

With the Sky Bridge, Hong Kong International Airport has gained a new architectural highlight. The impressive pedestrian bridge connects Terminal 1 with the North Satellite Concourse, providing travelers with a direct crossing over the airfield.

At a length of 200 meters and a height of 28 meters above the taxiways, it is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world spanning an active airport apron. Its dimensions are designed so that even Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 aircraft can comfortably pass underneath, a technical masterpiece amid the daily operations of the airport.

3D Model of Sky Bridge at Hong Kong Airport

Beyond its practical function, the Sky Bridge is also a design highlight. Large glass facades offer a panoramic view of the runways, allowing passengers to observe aircraft movements up close. For many, crossing the bridge becomes part of the travel experience.

The bridge also brings significant operational improvements for Hong Kong Airport: shuttle buses between terminals will no longer be necessary, shortening travel times, increasing efficiency, and improving the airport’s CO₂ footprint.

Sky Bridge Assembly at Hong Kong International Airport — Fully Assembled Sky Bridge on the Airfield at Night

Mobile Timelapse Operation - MK timelapse On Site in Hong Kong

For us at MK Timelapse, documenting the construction of the Sky Bridge at Hong Kong Airport was a truly special assignment. For several years, we have been tracking the large-scale airport redevelopment with our permanently installed timelapse cameras, continuously recording progress across all construction phases. We were able to partially leverage this existing infrastructure for the bridge project as well.

However, when the bridge was transported from the assembly site to its final position, greater flexibility was required: our team was on-site in Hong Kong to capture the entire process with a mobile timelapse setup.

Months before the operation, we planned a fixed camera setup with a total of four permanently installed systems. One camera captured the arrival of the bridge components at the port, a second documented their departure from the port, a third monitored preparations at the assembly site, and a fourth was focused on the terminal, where the Sky Bridge would later span the airfield.

The actual transport and lifting of the bridge took place over more than 50 hours during ongoing airport operations, spread across several nights to avoid disrupting air traffic. For this, we traveled to Hong Kong with two team members and four mobile cameras. One camera was mounted directly on the lifting device moving the bridge, another on a scaffold at the terminal’s final position. Two additional systems were used flexibly on tripods by our colleagues, capturing the transport step by step through the night and into the following day.

All cameras operated with an extremely short interval of one second to capture the dynamics of the movement. All systems recorded at a resolution of 40 megapixels. After the lift, the final camera at the terminal independently documented the completion of the finishing work, including the dismantling of the lifting device and the release of the bridge for air traffic. This allowed our team to rest at the hotel after the long night and the on-airfield operation.

It was also an extraordinary and particularly exciting assignment for us. Once again, we went the extra mile, capturing unique perspectives and mobile shots to create exceptional images for the timelapse film.

Systems

8x MK V40

Resolution

40 Megapixels

Interval

One Image per Second

Highlights

Mobile Operation on Tripods

Conclusion - A Special Moment at Hong Kong Airport

The Sky Bridge at Hong Kong Airport is not just a functional structure, but an architectural highlight that makes the airport an experience for travelers. For us at MK Timelapse, this project was particularly exciting because we could be on-site and capture it live.

The on-site operation, combined with our mobile timelapse setup, enabled a film full of movement and dynamics. Projects like this are what we love!

For Hong Kong International Airport, the Sky Bridge is a milestone in modernization. For us, this project demonstrates how versatile and flexible timelapse technology can be applied, whether in long-term monitoring or in unique, spectacular operations.