ENG-1978 — Page 219

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

Civil Aviation

159

A milestone was achieved in civil aviation in 1978 when the number of passengers passing through Hong Kong International Airport totalled more than five million. During the year, 2,718,000 passengers arrived on holiday or to do business and 2,868,000 left by air, in addition to some 500,000 people who stopped briefly in Hong Kong in transit.

The air freight industry recorded another boost in throughput with more than 229,000 tonnes carried, an increase of nearly 25 per cent over the previous year. In terms of value, the volume of freight forwarded by air carriers accounted for almost one-quarter of Hong Kong's total domestic exports and about one-third of its re- exports. Imports by air amounted to nearly one-fifth of the total by all sources. The value of goods exported and re-exported by air totalled about $14,000 million for the year.

Despite the gradual adoption of wide-bodied aircraft by major airlines to offset the ever-increasing passenger traffic, there was a slight upsurge in aircraft movements during the year. During 1978, some 30 airlines were operating about 900 scheduled passenger services each week between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, North America, Europe, East and South Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific region, and Southeast Asian countries. In addition, about 40 non- scheduled passenger services a week were operated by other airlines.

Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, remains one of the busiest airports in the Southeast Asian region. Both passenger and freight traffic are steadily increasing and this trend is expected to continue.

To cope with the growth of traffic, passenger facilities at the terminal building are being improved under a continuing development programme. Following the opening of the terminal extension in late 1977, a second baggage reclaim loop was implemented in early 1978, shortening the time arriving passengers have to wait for their baggage. Additional immigration desks and customs checkpoints were also provided to speed up arrival clearance. At the same time, the departure level was extended to incorporate a large general merchandise concession and a spacious seating area.

In March, a 1,020-square metre buffer hall was introduced to facilitate the arrival of passengers. Counters of the Hong Kong Tourist Association, the Hong Kong Hotels Association and the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents are accom- modated under one roof to provide services and guidance to arriving tourists. Group travellers and tourists, whose needs have been taken care of by their respective agents, are provided with exit routes separate from those for passengers who are expecting friends or relatives to meet them in the greeting area. This has helped to relieve the congestion previously experienced in the arrivals hall.

A new round-the-clock airport hire-car service was introduced in June to improve transport facilities. This replaced the former fleet of public hire cars which were due to be de-registered under new licensing requirements.

During the year, various development projects started. The building of two more jumbo piers with aerobridges and associated bus docks began and work is expected to be completed in early 1980. Construction also started on the arrivals hall extension and on a new restaurant block. A multi-storey car park was being built in two stages. The first stage, providing nearly 450 parking spaces, is scheduled for completion in