SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1981
DEVELOPMENT OF KAI TAK PASSENGER TERMINAL BUILDING
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KAI TAK - HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MARKS A MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF LOCAL CIVIL AVIATION AS THE LAST HOARDINGS ERECTED FOR MODERNISATION OF THE AIRPORT WERE REMOVED EARLIER THIS WEEK.
ORIGINALL PLANNED TO CATER FOR TRAFFIC OF NOT MORE THAN 550 PASSENGERS AN HOUR, THE AIRPORT, AS IT IS TODAY, CAN HANDLE EFFICIENTLY OVER 5 000 PASSENGERS PER HOUR THANKS TO THE FORESIGHT OF THE AIRPORT PLANNERS.
THE AIRPORT HAS NOW GONE THROUGH FOUR STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNISATION SINCE ITS RUNWAY WAS COMPLETED IN 1958, THE ORIGINAL CARGO COMPLEX IN 1959 (THEN USED AS A TEMPORARY PASSENGER TERMINAL) AND ITS MAIN PASSENGER TERMINAL BUILDING IN 1962.
THE PASSENGER TRAFFIC HAS GROWN FROM 495 591 IN 1961/62 TO 7 108 774 IN 1980/81 AND TO AN ESTIMATED NUMBER OF OVER 8 MILLION IN THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 1981.
THE VOLUME OF AIR CARGO INCREASED FROM 5 732 TONNES IN 61/62 TO 258 627 IN 80/81 AND TO AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 280 000 TONNES IN 1981.
AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS HAVE GONE UP FROM 14 852 IN 61/62 TO 53 841 IN 80/81.
THE FIRST STAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME STARTED IN THE EARLY 1960'S, SHORTLY AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE THEN NEW PASSENGER TERMINAL. THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES WERE CARRIED OUT SUCCESSIVELY IN THE FOLLOWING TEN YEARS. HOWEVER, ALL THESE EARLY PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT WERE COMPARATIVELY MODEST AND WERE PLANNED TO SMOOTH OUT THE AIRPORT OPERATION AND MEET THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS.
BY THE LATE 60'S, IT WAS RECOGNISED THAT THE THEN PASSENGER TERMINAL AND AIRPORT FACILITIES WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COPE WITH THE TRAFFIC GROWTH AND A LARGE EXPANSION PROGRAMME HAD TO BE WORKED OUT FOR PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.
IN VIEW OF THE GRADUAL INTRODUCTION OF THE LARGE, HEAVYWEIGHT WIDE-BODIED JETS BY AIRLINES, A DECISION WAS ALSO MADE TO EXTEND THE RUNWAY FROM 2 541 TO 3 358 METERS TO FACILITATE THE LANDING AND TAKE-OFF OF THESE AIRCRAFT. THE PROJECT, AT A CONSTRUCTION COST OF $200 MILLION, WAS COMPLETED AND BROUGHT INTO USE IN 1975.
THE PARKING APRON, WHICH ORIGINALLY ACCOMMODATED ONLY 10 AIRCRAFT WAS GRADUALLY EXTENDED TO TAKE BETWEEN 29 AND 33 AIRCRAFT DEPENDING UPON THE IR TYPES.
THE MASSIVE BUILDING PROGRAMME UNDER THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENT, KNOWN AS STAGE 4 BEGAN IN 1974 AND THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PASSENGER TERMINAL EXTENSION SUPER-STRUCTURE, WHICH HAS MADE THE BUILDING TWICE ITS ORIGINAL SIZE, STARTED I' EARLY 1975.