XN000022-1983-03-13 — Page 3

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 198,

LAND AREA AVAILABLE AT KAI TAK IS SEVERELY LIMITED AND TO ACCOMMODATE THE SCALE OF DEVELOPMENTS REQUIRED, SEVERAL EXISTING BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND RELOCATED. THREE ELECTRICITY SUB-STATIONS, SEVERAL STORES BUILDINGS

AND A STAFF CANTEEN HAVE ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR RELOCATION, HE DISCLOSED.

CAR PARKING CAPACITY NEXT TO THE TERMINAL HAS BEEN DOUBLED WITH THE OPENING OF THE WEST MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK ON MARCH 3, 1983. THIS WILL ENABLE THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PUBLIC TRANSPORT TERMINUS ON THE SITE OF THE EXISTING WESTERN OPEN-AIR CAR PARK, WHICH WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED FOR CAR PARKING PURPOSES.

THE TERMINUS WILL PROVIDE ARRIVAL PASSENGERS WITH READY ACCESS TO TAXIS, HIRE CARS AND AIRPORT COACHES AND RELIEVE THE PRESSURES ON THE EXISTING CONGESTED ARRIVALS KERB.

IT WILL BE COVERED AND CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO THE EXISTING ARRIVALS AREA,

THESE IMPROVEMENTS, AS WELL AS OTHER PROPOSALS, SUCH AS THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLYOVERS TO IMPROVE ROAD ACCESS, ARE BEING EXAMINED BY THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT PLANNERS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE SINGLE RUNWAY SETS A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS (ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES) THAT CAN BE HANDLED IN ANY PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT IS MOST UNLIKELY THAT ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT CAN BE MADE IN THIS AREA, HE SAID.

THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS HAS STABILISED RECENTLY AS MORE AIRLINES HAVE REPLACED SMALLER AIRCRAFT WITH LARGER ONES. HOWEVER, RUNWAY MOVEMENT RATES WILL BEGIN TO GROW AGAIN WHEN THE EXTENT OF THIS INTRODUCTION OF LARGER AIRCRAFT HAS ITSELF STABILISED. INCREASES IN PASSENGER TRAFFIC CAN THEN ONLY BE ACCOMMODATED BY INCREASES IN THE NUMBERS OF AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS.

THE EXISTING TERMINAL BUILDING WAS DESIGNED TO HANDLE 10 MILLION PASSENGERS PER YEAR, A FIGURE WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE REACHED IN 1984.

ALTHOUGH IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE STAGE V DEVELOPMENT COMPLETED BY THAT TIME, IT IS PROPOSED THAT AD HOC MODIFICATIONS TO THE EXISTING BUILDING BE UNDERTAKEN TO EXTEND ITS LIFE UNTIL THE NEW FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE TIME FRAME FOR THE NEW DEVELOPMENT DEPENDS ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THE TIME REQUIRED FOR DESIGN OF ALL OF THE FACILITIES, AND SITE CLEARANCE.

SINCE THE STAGE V DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF A LARGE NUMBER OF ELEMENTS, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE WORK BE PHASED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THOSE FACILITIES THAT CAN BE BROUGHT INTO SERVICE EARLY WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR USE BEFORE THE COMPLETION OF THE MAIN TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH COULD BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF 1986, HE SAID.

ŞIN KODILLA