WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1978
15
APPROACH TO BUILDING OF NEW AIRPORT EXPLAINED
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS ADOPTED ́A +STAGE BY STAGE+ APPROACH IN LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF BUILDING A NEW AIRPORT TO REPLACE THE PRESENT ONE AT KAI TAK.
THIS WAS STATED TODAY IN THE LEGISLATIVE-COUNCIL BY THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, THE HON. DAVID JEAFFRESON IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON. SIR SZE-YUEN CHUNG.
SUCH AN APPROACH WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE LONG LEAD TIME (UP TO 10 YEARS) FOR THE PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT, MR. JEAFFRESON SAID.
HE ADDED THAT A FINAL DECISION MUST DEPEND ON THE RESULTS OF ALL NECESSARY INVESTIGATIONS PLUS UP-DATED AIR TRAFFIC FORECASTS.
SUMMARISING WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR CONCERNING THE BUILDING PLAN OF THE NEW AIRPORT, MR. JEAFFRESON SAID THAT IN 1965, AIR TRAFFIC FORECASTS INDICATED THAT, AT SOME STAGE IN THE NEXT 15 TO 20 YEARS, KAI TAK AIRPORT WOULD BE UNABLE TO MEET THE DEMANDS EXPECTED TO BE PLACED UPON IT.
CONSULTANTS WERE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNEMNT IN 1973 TO UNDERTAKE A LONG TERM STUDY ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG'S AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND A REPORT WAS SUBMITTED IN JANUARY 1975, HE SAID.
+THEIR CONCLUSIONS WERE THAT KAI TAK COULD NOT SUSTAIN THE FUTURE DEMAND FOR AIR SERPICES- THAT THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF TRAFFIC BEING DIVERTED TO ELSEWHERE WOULD BE SERIOUS THAT A POTENTIALLY SUITABLE SITE FOR A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT WAS AVAILABLE AND THAT PLANNING SHOULD BE CONTINUED TO DEVELOP A SPECIFIC COURSE OF ACTION TO PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT FOR HONG KONG, HE ADDED.
DURING 1975 AND 1976, MR. JEAFFRESON CONTINUED, THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT REVIEWED THE FORECAST OF DEMAND AND ESTABLISHED THE MOST PROBABLE GROWTH RATES OVER TWO CONSECUTIVE FIVE-YEAR PERIODS ENDING 1980 AND 1985.
+THE REVIEW WAS UP-DATED EARLY IN 1977 AND CONFIRMED THAT MAXIMUM PRACTICAL CAPACITY OF KAI TAK WOULD PROBABLY BE REACHED IN 1985, MR. JEAFFRESON POINTED OUT.
+EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS, ACCORDINGLY ADVISED THAT INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT TO EXAMINE WHETHER IT WOULD BE PRACTICABLE IN-ENGINEERING AND METEOROLOGICAL TERMS TO CONSTRUCT A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK - AN ISLAND OFF THE NORTH-WEST COAST OF LANTAU -- WHICH IS THE SITE RECOMMENDED AS BEING THE MOST SUITABLE BY THE CONSULTANTS IN THE IR 1975 REPORT.
+EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ALSO ADVISED THAT CONSULTANTS BE APPOINTED TO DEVELOP A POSSIBLE AIRPORT LAYOUT PLAN, INCLUDING THE CONFIGURATION OF THE RUNWAY, THE APPROACH ZONES AND BOUNDARIES,+ HE SAID.
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