XN000022-1985-06-16 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 1985

AT THE GROUND FLOOR ARRIVAL LEVEL, TWO NEW BAGGAGE RECLAI LOOPS WILL BE PROVIDED, IN ADDITION TO EXPANDED IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS CONTROL FACILITIES.

+ALL OF THESE SHOULD GREATLY ENHANCE PASSENGER AND BAGGAGE PROCESSING, + SAID MR MATTHEWS.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (TECHNICAL AND PLANNING) OF THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT (CAD), MR TREVOR OLIVER, SAID HE WAS CONFIDENT THE WHOLE PROJECT WOULD BE COMPLETED IN TIME TO MEET AIR PASSENGE TRAFFIC NEEDS IN THE LATE 1980S AND 1990S.

THE PLAN AT HAND IS TO INCREASE THE PASSENGER HANDLING CAPACITY FROM THE PRESENT 12 MILLION PASSENGERS TO ABOUT 18 MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR, HE SAID.

THIS WOULD MEAN THE AIRPORT HANDLING 5 300 INBOUND OR OUTBOUND PASSENGERS PER HOUR, HE ADDED,

CURRENTLY, 32 SCHEDULED AIRLINES ARE OPERATING AROUND 1 003 SERVICES A WEEK TO AND FROM HONG KONG - LINKING IT DIRECTLY TO 70 MAJOR WORLD CITIES WITH NON-STOP SERVICES TO 40 OF THEM.

THE AIR NETWORK COVERS BRITAIN, EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST, AUSTRALASIA AND ASIA. SIX OTHER AIRLINES OPERATE AN AVERAGE OF 24 NON-SCHEDULED SERVICES IN AND OUT OF HONG KONG EACH WEEK.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE VOLUME OF AIR CARGO BEING HANDLED HAS ALSO GONE UP DRAMATICALLY.

IT HAS INCREASED FROM 5 732 TONNES IN 1961/62 TO 258 627 TONNES IN 1980/81 AND TO A TOTAL OF 420 000 TONNES, VALUED AT $109 BILLION, IN 1984.

CORRESPONDING TO ITS GROWTH OVER THE YEARS, THE PASSENGER TERMINAL BUILDING AND ITS OTHER FACILITIES HAVE UNDERGONE ALTERATIONS AND ADDITION, MODIFICATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS, MR OLIVER SAID.

VARIOUS COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES WERE SET UP TO STUDY THE COMPLEX, IMMEDIATE AND FUTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSENGER PROCESSING, CARGO HANDLING, AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE, AIRLINE'S ACCOMMODATION AND OTHER FACETS OF THIS INCREASINGLY BUSY AIRPORT.

IT HAS UNDERGONE FOUR STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNISATION, HE NOTED.

THE FIRST STAGE OF THE PROGRAMME STARTED IN THE EARLY 1960S SHORTLY AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE THEN NEW PASSENGER TERMINAL. THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES WERE CARRIED OUT IN THE FOLLOWING 10 YEARS.

HOWEVER, ALL