Check-in service is provided at the Pazhou Ferry Terminal.

Eight more airlines have started the SkyPier sea-air intermodal connection service at the Pazhou Ferry Terminal, which provides passengers with ferry services connecting Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to downtown Guangzhou. As of July 18, 66 airlines have launched the service at the terminal.

According to a staff member of the terminal, 18 out of the 66 airlines currently offer check-in service. This service allows passengers to complete immigration, check-in, and baggage tagging at the Pazhou Ferry Terminal before heading to the SkyPier, which is located in the restricted area of HKIA.

Passengers can then proceed directly to the boarding gates without having to go through immigration and customs procedures in Hong Kong.

Passengers of the other 48 airlines need to check in after they arrive at the SkyPier. More airlines are expected to offer check-in services at the Pazhou Ferry Terminal in the near future, said the staff member.

Vishu, an Indian passenger, is waiting for the 12 am ferry at the Pazhou Ferry Terminal for his flight to Delhi, which is departing from HKIA in the afternoon of July 18. "There is no direct flight between India and Guangzhou, so we need to transfer via Hong Kong or Thailand. With the intermodal connection service, it is more convenient for us to travel to Guangzhou through Hong Kong," he said.

The Pazhou Ferry Terminal is located adjacent to the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) complex in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou, and the journey to HKIA takes about 2 hours by speedy ferry. To purchase a ferry ticket, passengers are required to present valid air tickets with confirmed seats departing from HKIA and arrive at the ferry terminal 90 minutes before departure.

The Pazhou Ferry Terminal has seen more than 160 thousand inbound and outbound passengers since it started operations in April 2023, ranking second in Guangdong following the Shekou Ferry Terminal of Shenzhen.

According to the staff member, 40 percent of their passengers are foreign passengers, and the number could go up to 80 percent during the Canton Fair in spring and autumn every year. To facilitate its services, the terminal is now equipped with an automatic foreign currency exchange machine, a mobile carrier's service counter, and a taxi rank.