ENG-1958 — Page 290

240

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

Planning of the third and final stage, namely the erection of a new airport terminal building with associated public terminal facilities, has been somewhat protracted because of the need to ensure that the proposed terminal facilities whilst adequate to meet both present and future needs, were not at the same time on too elaborate a scale to justify the cost involved. On the advice of the Airport Progress Committee, the Government eventually decided that the original plans were too ambitious and should be considerately modified by the elimination of certain inessential facilities. As a result the estimated cost of construction of the terminal has been reduced from $25 million to $16 million and the revised scheme is expected to be completed towards the end of 1960. The architect's sketch of the new building, as it will ultimately appear, together with scenes from the construction and opening of the runway, are illustrated elsewhere in this Report.

Hong Kong Airport lies at the base of the Kowloon Peninsula with its new runway extending into Kowloon Bay. The airport is suitable for both land and sea operations and, as explained above, now operates only on a dawn to dusk basis, night operations being restricted to emergency only due to topographical hazards and limited visual and radio navigational aids. The administration and operational facilities are controlled by the Director of Civil Aviation and a small number of specialist officers, who supervise all spheres of civil aviation and co-ordinate the planning for future developments. Of the total staff of 336 officers in the Civil Aviation Department, 312 have been locally recruited, and training facilities are made available in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom to enable all technical personnel to gain further knowledge and experience.

The Civil Aviation Department provides staff and equipment to cover the usual administrative and operational services such as Air Traffic Control, Telecommunications, Air/Sea Rescue, Fire and Crash, Aeronautical Information and Air Registration, and, in conjunction with the Royal Observatory, also provides an Aeronautical Meteorological Information Service. Cable and Wire- less Ltd. is responsible for the technical maintenance of the Colony's aeradio services. Aeronautical engineering facilities in the form of aircraft and engine maintenance, repair and overhaul are offered by the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co., Ltd.