AMP
EXPANDING KAI TAK
Several alternative means for providing additional runway capacity were explored, but only one offered any possibility: construction of a new runway, thus providing two closely spaced interdependent parallel runways. At most airports, the addition of a closely spaced second runway would provide a substantial increase in capacity at reasonable cost. However, to provide an additional closely spaced runway at Kai Tak would be an extremely expensive project and, although the capacity would be increased thereby, it would only provide for 2 to 3 years' normal growth. In addition to the high cost and limited benefit of providing a second runway at Kai Tak, there would be a need to resume land to the southwest of the present airport. The very high costs of such a development program for Kai Tak, estimated to be in excess of HK $3,500 million, led the Steering Group to advise discontinuing the study for the expansion of Kai Tak beyond currently planned improvements.
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