Hong Kong International Airport announced a new airport construction fee. The new fee will appear on air tickets issued on or after Aug. 1 for flights to, from or passing through the airport. The Airport Authority Hong Kong aims for the fee to fund the airport’s expansion. The amount of fee charged is dependent upon distance, ticket class and route. Passengers in first and business class will pay a fee of HK$180 for all long-haul routes, and HK$160 for all short-haul routes. Passengers in economy class will pay a fee of HK$160 for all long-haul routes, HK$90 for short-haul routes originating in or departing from Hong Kong and HK$70 for short-haul routes transferring through Hong Kong. Long-haul routes are considered all those to and from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Southwest Pacific and the Indian subcontinent. For the purpose of the fee, premium economy class is considered the same as economy. The Airport Authority estimates 70 per cent of all passengers departing the airport will pay HK$90 or less. The fees will remain in effect until all debts from the expansion are repaid in full. Fee rates will remain the same over the time period.