KAI TAK AIRPORT
The investigation extended to all facets of the Kai Tak system. Capacity of the air traffic control/runway elements proved to be the controlling factors on the airside. Taxiways, aprons, cargo systems, and terminals are or can be made adequate to support the volume of traffic limited by the runway demand characteristic.
The single 11,130-foot runway cannot be upgraded to an all-weather precision category: the runway-taxiway separation and strip widths and lengths do not meet applicable ICAO recommendations.
The curved approach to Runway 13 cannot be fully instrumented. Positive course guidance is not attainable for departures and missed approaches to the northwest or for the critical phases of southeast approaches. Major improvements are expected in future navigation and air traffic control technology, and some applications will be appropriate for Kai Tak. Although they offer benefits in terms of operational safety, they will not improve capacity.
The achievable capacity of a runway system is a function of the number of aircraft that can be served by the runway and its associated traffic control system in a unit of time. In quantifying Kai Tak capacity, the Consultants assumed that the controllers would achieve a very high level of proficiency and that available technology would be applied to its maximum benefit. Under these assumptions, the system can accept between 112,000 and 132,000 annual aircraft operations, depending on the degree and success of scheduling controls to maximize facility utilization. In practice, the achievement of these volumes will be difficult, and will involve unpleasant and costly delays to aircraft and passengers.
GROUND ACCESS SYSTEM
Investigation of the Kai Tak ground transport system identified three definable system segments: the principal corridors serving Kai Tak, junctions of the corridors at the airport boundaries, and internal circulation and parking. The west and northeast corridors will be severely congested by the mid-1980s, primarily from nonairport traffic. The south corridor, which carries the major share of airport traffic, will reach capacity in about 1987. The access points to the airport will be operating above capacity before 1980. Completion of the car park will provide parking capacity somewhat beyond 1980, but will compound the internal circulation congestion.
Several improvements are planned or have been suggested that will extend capacity of most of these elements, but internal airport circulation will continue to be a limiting constraint on groundside capacity. By 1981, demand on the system will cause serious congestion inside the airport during peak periods. Thus, the ground access system
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