"WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CHEK LAP KOK MAY NOT BE THE BEST SITE AERONAUTICALLY TAKING SOUTH CHINA AS A WHOLE, BUT IT IS, NEVERTHELESS, THE BEST SITE IN TERMS OF RESOLVING THE COMPLEX PROBLEM WE ARE FACING," SHE STRESSED.
OUR PROBLEM WAS NOT ONE SIMPLY OF AIR TRAFFIC GROWTH AND DIFFICULT TERRAIN, MRS CHAN SAID.
THIS OVER-SIMPLIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM HAD LED SOME TO SUGGEST HONG KONG SHOULD THINK SOLELY IN TERMS OF SITING AN AIRPORT SOMEWHERE ON THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE BORDER WHERE TERRAIN CONSTRAINTS WERE LESS PROBLEMATIC TO SERVE THE PEARL RIVER DELTA AS A WHOLE.
"THIS SUGGESTION MISSES THE POINT THAT THE AIRPORT IS NEEDED PRIMARILY TO SERVE HONG KONG AND THE FUTURE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, WHICH WILL COME INTO BEING IN 1997.
"THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW REQUIRE US ΤΟ 'TAKE MEASURES FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE STATUS OF HONG KONG AS A CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL AVIATION'.
"WE
SHALL HAVE OUR OWN AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE OUR OWN AIR TRAFFIC RIGHTS WITH THIRD COUNTRIES WITHIN THE LIMITS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION," SHE NOTED.
IF WE FAILED TO HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS OF HONG KONG WHICH WAS CAPABLE OF MEETING DEMAND. MRS CHAN POINTED OUT THAT WE WOULD IN EFFECT BE GIVING UP THIS AUTONOMY IN CIVIL AVIATION WHICH HAS BEEN GUARANTEED FOR US IN THIS WAY.
**KAI TAK IS ALREADY THE SIXTH BUSIEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS AND THE FOURTH BUSTEST IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT.
"IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY BUSIER THAN ANY AIRPORT ANYWHERE IN CHINA.
"ANY SUGGESTION THAT A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT OF SUCH WORLD AND REGIONAL IMPORTANCE WOULD BE BETTER SITED OVER THE BORDER IN SOUTHERN CHINA OR THAT WE SHOULD RELY ON SHENZHEN AIRPORT TO ABSORB HONG KONG'S FORECAST AIR TRAFFIC GROWTH IGNORE ALL OF THESE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS,' SHE SAID.
!!
MRS CHAN ALSO DISMISSED THE POSSIBILITY OF SIMPLY STRUGGLING ON USING KAI TAK.
"INDEED, WE ARE ALREADY DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF KAI TAK, BUT THAT CAPACITY IS ULTIMATELY CONSTRAINED RY THE FACT THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE RUNWAY, WHICH, BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION, CANNOT EVEN BE USED 24 HOURS A DAY," THE SECRETARY NOTED.
ALTHOUGH KAI TAK HAD SERVED HONG KONG WELL THESE PAST ITS LOCATION WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.
DECADES,
"SOME
350,000 PEOPLE LIVE UNDER THE FLIGHT PATH AND THE NOISE IMPACT OF AIRCRAFT EXCEEDS INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS.
"SAFETY STANDARDS IMPOSED BY THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS SITE ARE ALSO LESS THAN IDEAL," MRS CHAN SAID.
OF THE
OVER THE YEARS, THE GOVERNMENT HAD IMPLEMENTED IMPROVEMENTS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF KAI TAK. THESE WORKS CONTINUED AND WOULD PROVIDE MORE PARKING BAYS FOR AIRCRAFT, IMPROVED ATR TRAFFIC CONTROL AND IMPROVED ROAD ACCESS TO KAI TAK.
A
NUMBER OF
24