Wednesday, May 23, 1973
RESTRICTIONS ON NIGHT FLYING AT KAI TAK
The Governor-in-Council has decided to continue the restrictions
on night flying at Kai Tak even when full working at the airport becomes
possible at the end of July.
Announcing this at the Legislative Council meeting today, the
Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Sir Hugh Norman-Walker, said that in some
ways the restrictions that could now be imposed would be more beneficial
to those living within the neighbourhood of the airport.
At the same time, he pointed out, there had never been a total
ban on night flying at Kai Tak.
He said that with the completion of the runway extension Hong
Kong would be able to resume its international obligations to aircraft in
emergency and in the case of flights unavoidably delayed. These categories
would have to be allowed to land,
But even in the circumstances of delayed aircraft, he went on,
"no aircraft would be allowed to take off over Kowloon after midnight",
Any unavoidable landings would be made from the Lei Yue Mun
direction, unless exceptional weather conditions made this hazardous to
aircraft, he added.
Sir Hugh said it was impossible to foretell the number of aircraft,
in these circumstances, operating after midnight. The figure would tend
to be higher in summer than in winter, he said, but there would be many nights
when there were no movements at all.
/Under the