Economic Services Branch Progress Report
1 November 1981 - 31 January 1982
Part I
Progress made and present position
Next quarter target
Subject
<Air Services
CONFIDENTIAL
UK/China Air Services Agreement
Purpose
To implement the ASA and Regional Routes CMU and to prepare for the review of the arrangements provided for in these documents.
Replacement international airport
To consider whether an inter- national airport to replace Kai Tak should be constructed.
(i)
CAAC agreed to extra CPA capacity each month on the Hong Kong/Shanghai route only with the greatest reluctance and ill grace and, in the case of January (and February), only under the threat of loss of a large number of their own extra sections.
(ii) Subject to final confirmation by
CAAC, the first round of talks on the review of the UK/PRC air services arrangements will begin on 12 March in Peking. Preliminary discussions were held in Hong Kong in January with DoT officials on Hong Kong's objec- tives and the UK sides' strategy and tactics. Further discussions will be held here immediately prior to the opening of the Peking talks.
(i)
As to Chek Lap Kok,
(a) the airport master plan, Royal
Observatory, fauna, flora, and marine environment studies have continued satisfactorily and on schedule;
(b) it appears that the slippage in
the time-table for the civil engineering design study, due to the late start on the test-fill embankment, may not be made good, and so the completion date will go back;
To continue to support CPA proposals for extra capacity on the Hong Kong/Shanghai route, when demand justifies such enhanced capacity.
To determine, in con- junction with DoT, what the British strategy and tactics at the review talks should be, and to ensure that they take due cognisance of CPA's reasonable ambitions to provide regional services.
To ensure that these studies progress properly and timeously.
密
CONFIDENTIAL #
To determine what can be done to minimise the effects of the slippage and take appropriate action.
GF 323