Cool Reception for Third Runway Plan at HKIA
The Standard | Feb. 02, 2007
Airlines have urged Donald Tsang not to rush into building a third runway at Hong Kong International Airport while the issue of limited airspace remains unresolved.
The warning came from the deputy chairman of Hong Kong's Board of Airline Representatives, Gilbert Chow, after Tsang formally announced his candidacy for the March 25 Hong Kong SAR's chief executive election on Feb. 1.
In his candidacy speech, Tsang promised to improve Hong Kong's position as an aviation hub.
"While we are delighted that Tsang mentioned Hong Kong's aviation hub status in his candidacy speech, we should not rush into building a third runway," Chow said.
Instead, he suggested the government should enhance the capability of the two existing runways and try to ease congestion on them.
According to a Cathay Pacific Airways report issued last month, during a typical week last summer, four of the 16 time slots during peak hour on a weekday, were fully utilized. On weekends, seven of the slots were fully booked.
Last year, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department said the two runways at the airport were each accommodating 54 movements per hour. But in the airport's 1992 masterplan, the design capacity was 80 to 85 movements per hour for runway one and 75 movements per hour for runway two.
TNT Express Worldwide (HK) managing director Ambrose Linn welcomed Tsang's comments regarding Hong Kong's position as a regional logistics and shipping hub and suggested the government should invest more in infrastructure such as the Logistics Park Development in north Lantau.
"We expect cargo volume to grow at about 15 percent per annum over the next five to 10 years.
"Hong Kong should set up more cargo infrastructure in order to capture the strong growth market from the Pearl River Delta," Linn said.