The authority, which operates the Hong Kong International Airport, said it expects passenger volume at the ferry terminal to reach 3 million in 2011, up from a forecast 1.5 million this year.

With four berths, the new terminal is scheduled for completion in 2008, replacing the current, temporary facility. The pier will be linked to the airport's main terminal building by a driver-less train system.

Five ports in the Pearl River Delta, southern China's industrial hub, currently have ferry services to the Hong Kong airport, connecting it with cities like Shenzhen and Macau. Three more points are expected to be added in coming months, ferry operators said.

The latest expansion is part of the airport authority's overall plans to boost capacity at the airport, which is seeing passenger traffic rise to near its current annual handling capacity of 45 million.

It expects 60 million passengers to pass through the government-owned airport annually by 2020, up nearly 50 percent from 40.7 million last year. The rise will likely be fueled by surging trade and tourism growth in the Pearl River Delta.

In January, the authority said it will spend HK$4.5 billion (US$579 million; euro441 million) over the next four years to build a satellite concourse beside the passenger terminal, increase parking bays for cargo aircraft, and enhance facilities in the main terminal building.