XN000022-1990-10-31 — Page 34

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1990

OUR PROBLEM WAS NOT ONE SIMPLY OF AIR DIFFICULT TERRAIN, MRS CHAN SAID.

TRAFFIC GROWTH AND

THIS OVER-SIMPLIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM HAD LED SOME TO SUGGEST SOMEWHERE HONG KONG SHOULD THINK SOLELY IN TERMS OF SITING AN AIRPORT ON THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE BORDER WHERE TERRAIN CONSTRAINTS WERE PROBLEMATIC TO SERVE THE PEARL RIVER DELTA AS A WHOLE.

LESS

IS NEEDED ADMINISTRATIVE

"THIS SUGGESTION MISSES THE POINT THAT THE AIRPORT

SPECIAL PRIMARILY TO SERVE HONG KONG AND THE FUTURE REGION WHICH WILL COME INTO BEING IN 1997.

ΤΟ 'TAKE

"THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW REQUIRE US MEASURES FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE STATUS OF HONG KONG AS A CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL AVIATION'.

ABLE то

"WE SHALL HAVE OUR OWN AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND BE NEGOTIATE OUR OWN AIR TRAFFIC RIGHTS WITH THIRD COUNTRIES WITHIN

SHE NOTED. LIMITS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION,

"

INTERNATIONAL

THE

AIRPORT WITHIN THE IF WE FAILED TO HAVE AN GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS OF HONG KONG WHICH WAS CAPABLE OF MEETING DEMAND, BE GIVING UP THIS MRS CHAN POINTED OUT THAT WE WOULD IN EFFECT

IN THIS AUTONOMY IN CIVIL AVIATION WHICH HAS BEEN GUARANTEED FOR US WAY.

"KAI TAK IS ALREADY THE SIXTH BUSIEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS AND THE FOURTH BUSIEST IN TERMS INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT.

"ANY

IN

OF

"IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY BUSIER THAN ANY AIRPORT ANYWHERE IN CHINA. AND SUGGESTION THAT A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT OF SUCH WORLD REGIONAL IMPORTANCE WOULD BE BETTER SITED OVER THE BORDER IN SOUTHERN CHINA OR THAT WE SHOULD RELY ON SHENZHEN AIRPORT TO ABSORB HONG KONG'S

ALL OF THESE IGNORE

IMPORTANT GROWTH FORECAST AIR TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS," SHE SAID.

MRS CHAN ALSO DISMISSED THE POSSIBILITY OF SIMPLY STRUGGLING ON USING KAI TAK.

"INDEED,

THE WE ARE ALREADY DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO EXPAND

CONSTRAINED BY CAPACITY OF KAI TAK, BUT THAT CAPACITY IS ULTIMATELY

BECAUSE OF WHICH,

ITS RUNWAY, THE

IS ONLY ONE THAT THERE LOCATION, CANNOT EVEN BE USED 24 HOURS A DAY," THE SECRETARY NOTED.

FACT

ALTHOUGH KAI TAK HAD SERVED HONG KONG WELL THESE PAST ITS LOCATION WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.

DECADES,

"SOME 350,000 PEOPLE LIVE UNDER THE FLIGHT PATH AND THE IMPACT OF AIRCRAFT EXCEEDS INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS.

NOISE

"SAFETY STANDARDS IMPOSED BY THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS

MRS CHAN SAID. SITE ARE ALSO LESS THAN IDEAL,

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/OVER THE

OF THE