ENG-1992 — Page 275

TRANSPORT

During the year, work also commenced on a number of new improvement projects including the widening of the departure pier area to relieve congestion in the airside departure lounge, and construction of an eight-bus dock to provide additional facilities to serve passengers transferring to aircraft positioned on outer bays. A contract was also signed in August to replace three pairs of passenger boarding bridges. Installation work is expected to start in May 1993 with completion in September.

In October, work started on resurfacing and regrooving the runway and is due to be completed in April 1993.

Efforts to increase aircraft parking capacity continued. Four additional parking bays for B747-sized aircraft, equipped with fixed ground power, refuelling facilities and floodlighting, were put into operation in November. Development of a further 11 parking bays on the Kowloon Bay Reclamation is on schedule. Completion of this new apron will be in phases in 1993 during which two new taxiway bridges will also be commissioned to provide a circular taxiway system linking this apron to the runway.

Installation of a computerised aircraft parking bay allocation system commenced in December. The system, when fully operational in June 1993, will maximise the utilisation of aircraft parking bays so that increased demand from traffic growth can be met.

Aside from physical developments, improvement to air traffic control facilities were also implemented. During the year the precision approach radar was replaced. Equipment installation and staff training took approximately two months to complete and the new radar was put into operation in November. Work on improvements to the existing radar system is continuing, with the approach surveillance radar and terminal area radar scheduled for replacement in mid-1993 and end-1994 respectively.

The Civil Aviation Department will be responsible for the provision of the air traffic control system for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. Work on drawing up specifications for the various components of the system has already started with a view to calling tenders early in 1993.

To further enhance security arrangements at Kai Tak Airport all airlines have now complied with a requirement that all checked baggage of departing passengers be security screened by X-ray. To this end, all check-in desks at the passenger terminal have been equipped with modern X-ray equipment. Kai Tak Airport is now one of the few airports in the world where all departing passengers' checked baggage is security screened by X-ray.

As part of a continuing process of equipment updating, the Airport Fire Contingent took delivery of a replacement foam tender vehicle during the year. With the airport expanding into the South Apron another motorised inflatable rescue boat has been purchased. A contract for a further fire rescue vessel for delivery in early 1993 has also been concluded. This additional equipment will ensure adequate fire and rescue cover within the water area between the runway promontory and the South Apron.

Hong Kong is home to three airlines. During the year, Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA), the largest of the three, commenced scheduled all-cargo services to Los Angeles in July and scheduled passenger services to Adelaide and Cebu in October and December respectively. To cope with the increasing scale of its operations, CPA acquired three B747-400s and converted one of its B747-200 passenger aircraft into a freighter. At the end of 1992, its fleet comprised 18 L1011s, seven B747-200s, six B747-300s, 14 B747-400s and four B747-200 freighters, a total of 49 aircraft.

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