TRANSPORT
The CAD liaised with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) on the relay of the secondary surveillance radar (SSR) data from Xisha to Hong Kong, and installation of Very High Frequency (VHF) communications facilities at Xisha for use by the department. The plan is to have these facilities available for testing in Hong Kong in mid-2004. With such provision, the ATC operational efficiency in the Hong Kong Flight Information Region will be greatly enhanced.
To ensure the provision of efficient ATC services in the Pearl River Delta area, the CAD continued to maintain close liaison with the civil aviation authorities of the Mainland and Macau. In 2003, a series of tripartite meetings on ATC operations was held and the flight procedures of airports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macau were refined for more effective use of airspace in the region.
Under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum programme has been adopted and successfully put into operation. As a result, aircraft operating in this region enjoyed better fuel economy, reduced ground delay as well as improvements in operational efficiency. Review meetings organised by the ICAO were also held regularly to ensure safe operations of the programme and to further streamline the operations.
Following the establishment of a Safety and Quality Section in the CAD, the department's Air Traffic Management Division continued to implement and adapt existing practice in accordance with the principles of Safety Management System on air traffic management and air traffic service operations. In December, a Safety Regulatory Audit on Control Aerodrome Competency Assurance was conducted with satisfactory results. Further efforts will be made to use the Safety Management System as a tool for enhancing safety and quality.
The CAD hosted an international Search and Rescue Seminar on November 24 and 25. The seminar provided a forum for experts of the Asia-Pacific region to discuss search and rescue matters, enhance coordination and cooperation between states, and update states on the latest developments in the field. Participants in the seminar were also invited to observe the annual search and rescue exercise conducted from November 26 to 29.
Satellite-based Communications, Navigation and Surveillancel Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems
To comply with the Global and Regional Implementation Plans of the ICAO for Satellite-based CNS/ATM Systems, studies on the latest CNS/ATM developments and detailed investigations on various elements of the CNS/ATM Systems continued. Satisfactory progress and results were achieved in 2003 in various technical and operational trials including those on the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network, Air Traffic Services Message Handling System, VHF Digital Link, Air Traffic Services Inter-facility Data Communication, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance/Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications for downlinking
meteorological data.
Following satisfactory system trials, certain mature CNS/ATM System elements were put into operational use so as to reap the benefits of early CNS/ATM applications. These included Digital-Automatic Terminal Information Services (D- ATIS), Digital-Meteorological Information for Aircraft in Flight (D-VOLMET) and Pre-Departure Clearance delivery via datalinks. At year-end more than 43 per cent of
281