XN000022-1990-10-10 — Page 25

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1990

HE STRESSED THAT WE COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINED BY INADEQUATE AIRPORT CAPACITY.

"THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A QUESTION OF CONVENIENCE FOR TRAVELLERS. IF HONG KONG IS TO MAINTAIN ITS ROLE AS THE REGION'S KEY FINANCIAL, TRADING AND COMMERCIAL CENTRE, WE MUST BE ABLE TO MOVE INCREASING VOLUMES OF PASSENGER AND CARGO TRAFFIC QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY,

H SIR DAVID SAID.

THE GOVERNOR SAID SINCE HIS ANNOUNCEMENT LAST OCTOBER OF THE APPROACH WE WOULD TAKE TO PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT, THE CASE FOR BUILDING A NEW AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK HAD BECOME EVEN MORK COMPELLING.

"OUR

BARLIER FORECASTS OF GROWTH IN TRAFFIC AT KAI TAK HAVE PROVED TOO CONSERVATIVE. OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS USING THE PRESENT AIRPORT HAS INCREASED BY 11 PER CENT AND THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS BY 12 PER CENT.

"AT THIS RATE, KAI TAK WILL REACH SATURATION POINT BY 1994.

"LAST YEAR, 16 MILLION AIR PASSENGERS LANDED OR TOOK OFF FROM KAI TAK. IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS, KAI TAK IS NOW THE SIXTH BUSIEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD. IT IS THE FOURTH BUSIEST IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT.

"ACCORDING TO OUR PRESENT PROJECTIONS, BY THE YEAR 2000, HONG KONG WILL NEED TO HANDLE SOME 32 MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR, OR AN AVERAGE OF OVER 80,000 PASSENGERS EVERY DAY OF OPERATION, HE SAID.

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THE GOVERNOR CAUTIONED THAT FAILURE TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE NEW AIRPORT WOULD MEAN POSTPONING OUR PLANS FOR CONTINUING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

"WITHOUT A NEW AIRPORT, THE AIR TRANSPORT AND TOURIST SECTORS WOULD OBVIOUSLY LOSE SUBSTANTIAL EARNINGS.

"AND,

OF COURSE, THE REST OF THE ECONOMY WOULD FACE A LOSS OF BUSINESS: BUSINESS WHICH WOULD BE QUICKLY SNAPPED UP BY OUR RIVALS.

"IN THE END, WE WOULD FIND IT HARD TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A REGIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE, AND BOTH PROFITS AND WAGES WOULD BE PUT AT RISK," HE SAID.

THE NEW AIRPORT AUTHORITY WOULD COME INTO EXISTENCE NEXT AND IN THE MEANTIME, THE PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY WAS HARD AT WORK HAD MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

YEAR,

AND

IN JULY, IT APPOINTED CONSULTANTS TO DRAW UP THE AIRPORT MASTER PLAN, TO CARRY OUT AN ENGINEERING DESIGN WORK, AND TO ASSESS THE IMPACT THE NEW AIRPORT WOULD HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT.

SIR DAVID SAID THE CONSULTANTS HAD FINISHED THE FIRST PHASE OF THE MASTER PLAN, INCLUDING RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE ALIGNMENT OF THE TWO RUNWAYS.

/THE PROVISIONAL