Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department plans to open a second route for traffic overflying Hong Kong to Guangzhou to relieve air space congestion.

Insufficient routes and crowded air space over the Pearl River Delta caused delays to almost 3,000 flights between Hong Kong and the mainland in the first 10 months, said Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan on November 29.

The Tripartite Working Group, set up in 2004 among civil aviation authorities of the mainland, Macau and Hong Kong, has agreed to open the new route December 12.

On November 29, Director General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo Shung-man said it is hoped runway capacity could be increased from 54 planes an hour to 56 in 2009 by opening the new route and upgrading the air traffic control system. He gave no details of how the new route would increase traffic in air space.

He said air traffic control was difficult over the delta because of the high concentration of airports and the presence of the three aviation authorities.

The present single entry point not only handles flights from Hong Kong to Guangzhou but also international flights that pass over Hong Kong's airspace enroute to the provincial capital.

The air route and air space problem has increased operating costs in the aviation industry and caused inconvenience to passengers.

Last year Hong Kong International Airport operated 270,069 runway movements and air traffic controllers also had to cope with an additional 141,139 overflights, up 11 percent on the year before. The daily average number of flights to and from Hong Kong airport and the mainland and overflying Hong Kong to the mainland is about 49 percent of the total traffic in and out of the airport.

The number of flights handled by Hong Kong air traffic control is forecast to average 780 a day for this year. The number is expected to reach 1,500 in 2020.

Regional airports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and Zhuhai, are forecast to handle 3,300 flights, up from 1,700 now.

Guangzhou's new Baiyun airport is expected to open its third runway before 2009, threatening Hong Kong's status as a civil aviation hub.

Lo said the relationship between Hong Kong and Guangzhou is cooperative rather than competitive.

Guangzhou has an advantage in numbers in that it handles many domestic routes. In terms of passenger and cargo volume, Hong Kong should remain strong.

The department is also studying plans to open a new air traffic route to northeastern China to improve capacity.