The expanded second passenger terminal at Hong Kong International Airport will be crucial to the city’s role as a global aviation hub, with its departure concourse set to open at the end of next year, the managing authority has said.

The Airport Authority said on Friday that Terminal 2 would open on May 27 and travellers would check in, clear immigration and undergo security checks before proceeding to Terminal 1 for departure.

The dedicated departure concourse and boarding gates were slated to open at the end of next year, it added.

Authority chairman Fred Lam Tin-fuk described Terminal 2 as “a new milestone” in the airport’s development, prioritising efficiency and user experience.

“We believe that Terminal 2 can divert departing flights efficiently to welcome passengers during the summer holiday,” Lam said, adding that the authority would turn the airport into “Skytopia”, a megadevelopment offering experiences that spanned land, water and air.

Acting financial secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said the government was taking a broad approach to ensuring Hong Kong’s role as a global aviation hub.