35
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1990
"ANOTHER OPTIMISTIC SCENARIO, WHICH MIGHT ALSO PROVIDE KAI WITH SOME RELIEF, WOULD BE THE COMMENCEMENT OF DIRECT FLIGHTS CHINA AND TAIWAN.
TAK
BETWEEN
"THIS WOULD RELIEVE KAI TAK OF POSSIBLY ANOTHER FIVE PER OF ITS TOTAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC," MRS CHAN NOTED.
CENT
TAKEN TOGETHER WITH THE POTENTIAL RELIEF PROVIDED BY SHENZHEN MRS CHAN ESTIMATED THAT THE TIMING FOR KAI TAK TO REACH CAPACITY COULD BE DELAYED THROUGH TO THE END OF 1995.
"IN OTHER WORDS, EVEN TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THESE MOST OPTIMISTIC OF ASSUMPTIONS, THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING EVERY EFFORT, AS WE ARE DOING, TO WORK TOWARDS THE OPENING OF CHEK LAP AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
KOK
" SHE SAID.
"1997 REPRESENTS THE EARLIEST FEASIBLE TARGET DATE,
IN THE LONGER TERM, MRS CHAN POINTED OUT THAT THE ROLES OF CHEK кок, MACAU AND SHENZHEN AIRPORTS WERE SEEN AS COMPLEMENTARY.
LARGELY
LAP
"ALL THREE ARE NEEDED TO SERVICE ADEQUATELY THE DYNAMIC AREA OF THE PEARL RIVER DELTA AND SOUTHERN CHINA GENERALLY.
"EACH HAS ITS OWN PARTICULAR FUNCTION,
中华
SHE SAID.
NOTING THAT IT WAS NOT A UNIQUE SITUATION, MRS CHAN SAID THE ONLY TECHNICAL PROBLEM WHICH WAS, IN HONG KONG'S CASE, CURRENTLY UNDER DISCUSSION, WAS THE NEED FOR AIRPORTS IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CO- ORDINATE THE MANAGEMENT OF THE USE OF AIRSPACE AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE TO OPTIMISE THE CAPACITY OF ALL THE AIRPORTS CONCERNED.
AGAINST THESE BACKGROUND, MRS CHAN STRESSED THAT HONG KONG'S ACHIEVEMENT AS THE WORLD'S 11TH LARGEST TRADING ENTITY HAD NOT COME ABOUT BY ACCIDENT.
"ONE CRUCIAL ELEMENT CONTRIBUTING TO OUR SUCCESS HAS BEEN THE FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPED OVER MANY YEARS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN ENSURING THAT OUR TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS REMAIN ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
+
IN
"WE HAVE CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND OUR RECORD IS SECOND TO NONE," SHE
SAID.
MRS CHAN NOTED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A REPUTATION OF TYING UP SCARCE RESOURCES IN FACILITIES THAT LAID IDLE BECAUSE THE DEMAND WAS NOT THERE. IF ANYTHING WE HAD SOMETIMES BEEN CRITICISED FOR LAGGING BEHIND DEMAND.
"THE AIRPORT PROJECT HAD BEEN WELL RESEARCHED OVER MANY YEARS.
"WE MUST NOT ALLOW INDECISION OR FURTHER STUDIES TO BECOME PART
OF THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN HELP TO BRING ABOUT ACTION.
"WE HAVE MADE A DECISION THAT HONG KONG NEEDS A NEW AIRPORT AND THAT THIS SHOULD BE BUILT AT CHEK LAP KOK," MRS CHAN SAID.
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