TRANSPORT
longer term, a dual operation in which landings and departures are carried out on both runways will be introduced as air traffic demand increases.
Air Services
Hong Kong is committed to progressive liberalisation of its air services under bilateral air services arrangements. In particular, the Government implements proactively a liberal policy for air cargo services to help attract more air cargo to go through the HKIA and further develop Hong Kong into an international and regional air cargo hub.
To develop new air links, the Government continues to negotiate and conclude air services agreements (ASAs) and air services transit agreements (ASTAs) with more aviation partners. It also reviews bilateral arrangements with existing aviation. partners in the light of changing market circumstances. In 1999, a total of 23 air services arrangements were concluded or reviewed with aviation partners. Three more ASAS were signed during the year- with Russia, Qatar and Vietnam - bringing the total of signed ASAS to 37. Following the signing of ASTAS with the Kyrgyz Republic and Belarus, the number of such ASTAS increased to four.
In 1999, the Air Transport Licensing Authority granted six licences to airlines based in Hong Kong: four to Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA) and two to Air Hong Kong (AHK). At the end of the year, CPA held licences to operate scheduled services to 127 cities, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines (HDA) to 79 cities and AHK to 38 cities.
For CPA, a major development in 1999 was an increase in the number and scope of co-operation arrangements with other airlines. CPA together with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines International and Qantas Airways launched a new global alliance, oneworld, in February. CPA also entered into three new codeshare agreements during the year - the first one with Japan Airlines on specified passenger services on the sector between Hong Kong and Osaka from March and on the sector between Hong Kong and Nagoya from April, the second one with South African Airways on passenger services on the sector between Hong Kong and Johannesburg from July and the third one with Canadian Airlines International on specified passenger services on the sector between Hong Kong and Toronto as well as Vancouver from October. At the end of the year, CPA operated scheduled services to a total of 44 destinations world-wide.
HDA suspended its once weekly scheduled service to Tianjin in May but introduced additional frequencies on scheduled services to destinations such as Shanghai and Phnom Penh. At the end of the year, HDA provided scheduled services to 11 cities in the Mainland and nine other destinations in Asia, and continued to participate in the joint services between Bandar Seri Begawan and Hong Kong operated by Royal Brunei Airlines. In addition, HDA operated non-scheduled passenger services to a number of cities in the region, mostly in the Mainland. As part of the airline's fleet renewal programme, a new aircraft type Airbus A321-200, i.e. a stretched version of the Airbus A320, was introduced into HDA's fleet in April.
AHK continued to operate scheduled all-cargo services to Manchester, Brussels, Dubai and Osaka.
At the end of 1999, the fleets of these three airlines were as follows:
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