23
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1990
NEW AIRPORT VITAL TO FUTURE PROSPERITY
OF
HONG KONG SHOULD APPROACH THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED BY THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY WITH A SENSE WELL-EARNED PRIDE IN PAST ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONFIDENCE IN ITS ABILITY TO ACHIEVE STILL MORE, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
MRS CHAN WAS SPEAKING AT THE BUSINESS INFORMATION DAY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENTS OF ECONOMICS, AT THE BAPTIST COLLEGE.
SHE SAID THAT HONG KONG LIVED BY TRADE AND THAT 30 PER CENT OF
CENT DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 16 PER
OF RE-EXPORTS AND 20 PER CENT OF IMPORTS BY VALUE PASSED THROUGH KAI TAK LAST YEAR. EIGHTY-FIVE PER CENT OF TOURISTS ARRIVED BY AIR. AN EFFICIENT AIRPORT IS VITAL TO THE TERRITORY'S PROSPERITY.
"LET US BE UNDER NO ILLUSIONS. WE ALREADY FACE STRONG COMPETITION FROM OUR NEIGHBOURING CITIES, AND THIS COMPETITION WILL INCREASE," MRS CHAN SAID.
"HONG KONG MUST NOT ALLOW ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO BE HELD BACK BY INADEQUATE AIRPORT FACILITIES.
THE
"THIS YEAR WE EXPECT TO SEE THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS USING
A
CENT KAI TAK TERMINAL TO REACH 18.5 MILLION, REPRESENTING
14 PER INCREASE OVER 1989 AND A CONTINUATION OF THE AVERAGE 15 PER CENT GROWTH EXPERIENCED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS.
"CARGO THROUGHPUT IS ALSO EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY SOME PER CENT TO 788,000 TONNES AND AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS BY OVER 12 PER TO 106,000.
EIGHT
CENT
"IF THESE TRENDS CONTINUE THEN KAI TAK WILL HAVE REACHED FULL CAPACITY BY 1993.
"EVEN ON THE MORE CONSERVATIVE GROWTH RATES ASSUMED BY OUR
1996
AT CONSULTANTS IN 1988, CAPACITY WILL STILL BE REACHED BY
AND, THAT POINT, WE WOULD BEGIN TO HAVE TO TURN BUSINESS AWAY."
MRS CHAN SAID MUCH HAD BEEN MADE IN RECENT WEEKS OF APPARENT HONG INCONSISTENCIES IN THE ESTIMATES OF ECONOMIC DISBENEFITS WHICH KONG WOULD SUFFER IF IT HAD TO MAKE DO WITH AN AIRPORT OPERATING ᎪᎢ. OR BEYOND CAPACITY.
"IN FACT THERE WAS NO REAL DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CONSULTANTS EXCESS CONCERNED, BOTH OF WHOM PREDICTED ECONOMIC DISBENEFITS WELL IN
то BE PROVIDED OF $100 BILLON AT PRESENT PRICES WERE NO NEW AIRPORT BY 2010.
/"THE REASON