ENG-1990 — Page 302

TRANSPORT

the departure baggage system, will be carried out in five phases. Overall completion is scheduled for mid-1992.

Work has started on the construction of an additional two-and-a-half floors to the existing multi-storey carpark and three floors to the office block. Both projects will be completed in mid-1991.

To cope with the continued growth in cargo throughput, the construction of a second air cargo terminal is now underway. The new facility, which will be operated by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL), will be completed in late 1991, and will increase the air cargo handling capacity at the airport from 720 000 to 1 440 000 tonnes a year.

Improvements are also being made to the navigational aids and air traffic control equipment at the airport to ensure they remain fully up-to-date and able to cope with increasing demands over the next few years. New facilities are expected to be brought into operation in phases from March 1992 to December 1994.

Other new equipment acquired during the year includes a ‘Disabled Aircraft Recovery System' which significantly enhanced the ability of the Civil Aviation Department to speedily remove any disabled aircraft on the airfield, and a replacement catamaran which boosted the airport's fire fighting and rescue capability.

To cope with an increase in interline traffic, especially Taiwanese passengers transferring from Hong Kong to various destinations in China, a second transfer desk facility was provided at the arrival pier on the airside of the passenger terminal. The capacity of the interline baggage handling facility was also improved.

The year saw the resumption of strong growth both in passenger and cargo throughput at the airport, following a downturn in the second half of 1989 due to events in China. A total of 18.7 million passengers passed through the terminal; an increase of 15 per cent over the total of 16.2 million in the previous year. Some 800 000 tonnes of air cargo, valued $259,864 million, were handled, compared with 730 000 tonnes valued at $234,196 million in 1989. Viewed against Hong Kong's total trade in imports, exports and re-exports, imports by air made up about 20 per cent, exports by air about 30 per cent and re-exports by air about 16 per cent in value terms. The USA remained the major market for exports and re-exports by air, accounting for 38 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

(Details of International Movements of Aircraft, Passengers and Cargo are given at Appendix 37.)

An increase of 12 per cent in aircraft movements was recorded, bringing the annual total to 105 800. About 78 per cent of the aircraft calling at Hong Kong were wide- bodied types.

Hong Kong has three airlines. The largest, Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA) commenced scheduled services to Los Angeles in July and Sapporo in October. To cope with the increasing scale of its operations, CPA acquired one L1011, three B747-400s and one B747-200 freighter; by the end of 1990, its fleet comprised 18 L1011s, eight B747-200s, six B747-300s, five B747-400s and three B747-200 freighters, a total of 40 aircraft. CPA became a member of the International Air Transport Association in July.

Hong Kong Dragon Airlines (Dragonair) now operates scheduled services between Hong Kong and China, as well as scheduled services to Phuket, Utapao, Kagoshima, Dhaka and Kathmandu and non-scheduled passenger services to a number of other cities in Asia, mostly in China. During the year, Dragonair acquired another B737, bringing its fleet to five of the type.

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