Survey on passenger loading in the Hong Kong airport terminal

Emergency evacuation is the main concern in crowded airport terminals. Data on occupant loading are important for designing means of escape. However, very few field survey data on crowded terminals are available in the literature. There are queries concerning whether the data specified in the prescriptive codes are realistic in designing safety systems in modern terminals. More questions have been raised for those terminals using data, such as maximum floor area allowances per occupant, from the prescriptive codes which have not yet been verified for carrying out performance-based fire engineering design. In this study, passenger loading in the Hong Kong airport terminal was investigated. A field survey was carried out, in which the performance-based design was based on the occupant loading factor extracted from the prescriptive codes of Hong Kong. Transient passenger loadings of the airport in different seasons were compiled. The results were used to justify the maximum allowed loadings specified in design codes and standards.