CONFIDENTIAL
interests. An example of this had arisen during the recent dispute with the Thais. In order to further Hong Kong's aviation interests (definitely not those of the UK) we had gone through a period during which our Ambassador in Bangkok had reported that there had been . quite serious repercussions on particular export sales from the metropolitan UK to Thailand and on the UK's general trading relations with that country. Hong Kong should not expect the boot never to be
on the other foot.
9. The Governor concluded this part of the discussion by emphasising that he was not asking for any changes in our aviation policy and practices at present. He thought it right however to point out that there were forces at work which might lead him to ask for a change. Before he left Hong Kong for London next week he intended to get a fuller brief "from David Wong and his colleagues" on the air services situation as a whole.
Fronosed New Airport at Lantau
His
10. The Governor then went on to 'talk about the plans which were being formulated for developing a new airport at Lantau. explanation of this situation differed very markedly from what I had been told about it by Hong Kong officials during previous visits.
11. He said that projections of the future growth of air traffic in and out of Hong Kong indicated that at some time during the next decade the capacity of Kai Tak would be insufficient. In particular, his advisers saw no possibility of building a second runway at Eni Tak. It therefore seemed sensible to take advantage of developments affecting Lantau which were being pursued for other reasons and to plan for a new airport there. The new airport was not (as had previously been suggested) the principal reason for the proposed major developments at Lantau but rather a spin-off from them.
A firm of consultants had already been asked to tender for the relevant studies.
12. The Governor explained that in order to provide more land for industrial development it was proposed to level a large area of Lantau Island and to build a bridge connecting it with the mainland. Even aside from this they were pressing forward with plans to cut a swathe through Kowloon in order to provide a fast road access between this new industrial area and the centre of the city. The transfer of the airport from Kai Tak to Lantau - and it was a transfer, lock, stock and barrel that they had in mind rather than the building of a second airport would:-
(a) release extremely valuable building land at Kai Tak
itself;
(b) make possible the redevelopment of a large part of Kowloon
with buildings much taller than the Hong Kong Government had previously been able to permit on grounds of air safety;
(c)
reduce the noise nuisance about which people were becoming somewhat vocal even in Hong Kong; and
3.
/(a)