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COMMUNICATIONS
hoisted at various times during the year but the only major storm to effect the Colony was typhoon Shirley which passed over Hong Kong Island on the night of August 21. One vessel broke away from a harbour mooring and subsequently grounded on the western tip of the Stonecutters Island but was eventually refloated. A few other incidents and minor damage to vessels in the port occasioned by the storm were reported but in general the harbour and local craft escaped very lightly. A number of fires occurred on ships of the port during the year, the most serious of which occurred on a tanker being broken up in Junk Bay which spread to another vessel alongside and in which five people died.
CIVIL AVIATION
Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport today is one of the major international airports in the world and forms an important link on the main air routes of the Far East. More than 300 scheduled services to all parts of the world are provided each week by 23 international airlines, in addition to many charter and non-scheduled flights and some 1,471,679 passengers passed through the terminal building during the year. The importance of the airport to the Colony is high-lighted by the fact that tourism is now the Colony's second largest industry and more than 90 per cent of visitors travel by air.
The runway is presently 8,350 feet long and plans for its extension are under study. The latest navigational and approach aids have been installed and an instrument landing system, surveillance radar, precision approach radar and a pattern of radio beacons contribute greatly to the safety and regularity of air services. Modern airport and approach lighting provides for safe night operations in spite of the surrounding hills.
The phenomenal growth both in passenger and cargo traffic has necessitated urgent measures for the expansion of the airport's facilities. The terminal parking apron has recently been increased in size, now providing accommodation for 16 large aircraft, and further enlargement is planned. An extension to the passenger terminal building has been brought into use, and work has already commenced on a further extensive programme of modification, due for completion in 1970, which will provide for improved passenger flow, mechanical baggage handling and distribution, improved