MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1983
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ALTOGETHER, 41 OCCUPATION PERMITS WERE ISSUED FOR NEWLY- COMPLETED BUILDINGS DURING THE MONTH. THESE BUILDINGS INCLUDE A HOTEL AT THE JUNCTION OF WANG TAK STREET AND PO SHIN STREET, TWO SCHOOLS AT NAM FUNG ROAD AND TAI PAK TIN STREET IN KWAI CHUNG AND A SCHOOL EXTENSION AT CORNWALL STREET, KOWLOON.
IN SEPTEMBER, THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE ALSO GAVE PERMISSION TO DEMOLISH 21 BUILDINGS.
FORMER CHIEFS AMAZED AT AIRPORT GROWTH
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TWO FORMER CIVIL AVIATION CHIEFS SPOKE TODAY OF HOW TIME FLIES AND HOW THE AIRPORT HAD DEVELOPED SO MUCH SINCE THEY WERE LAST HERE.
THE TWO, MR R.E. DOWNING AND MR T.R. THOMSON, WERE EXCHANGING RECOLLECTIONS WITH THE PRESENT DIRECTOR, MR BRIAN KEEP AND SOME 100 OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAD ALSO BEEN WORKING IN THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT WITH THEM.
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THE OCCASION WAS A TEA PARTY GIVEN IN THE VISITORS' HONOUR BY MR KEEP.
HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT'S AMAZING+ DEVELOPMENT WAS PARTICULARLY FELT BY MR THOMSON, WHO RETIRED FROM THE CIVIL SERVICE IN 1973, WHEN THE AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING WAS ONLY ABOUT HALF ITS PRESENT SIZE.
AT THAT TIME, THE AIRPORT DEALT WITH ABOUT THREE MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR.
TODAY, MR THOMSON NOTED, THE AIRPORT HANDLES ABOUT NINE MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR, THREE TIMES THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC OF TEN YEARS AGO.
1973.
MR THOMSON WAS DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION FROM 1966 TO
HE WAS SUCCEEDED BY MR DOWNING, WHO HELD THE POST UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1979, AFTER A 32-YEAR ASSOCIATION WITH THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT.
MR DOWNING RECALLED THAT HE HAD JOINED THE DEPARTMENT IN DECEMBER 1947, FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF CIVIL AVIATION IN HONG KONG.
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