HK eyes 3rd runway option
Source: Bloomberg News |
June 3, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HONG Kong's airport, Asia's third-busiest by passenger numbers, is considering a plan to add a HK$136 billion (US$17 billion) third runway as China's economic growth fuels travel and cargo demand.
The new runway will help the airport meet a forecast demand of 97 million passengers by 2030, Airport Authority Hong Kong said in a statement yesterday.
The project, which may take about nine years to complete, will also help handle 8.9 million tons of cargo.
The government-owned airport operator plans to expand capacity in anticipation of a doubling in traffic as rising wages in China make air travel affordable to more people. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, the city's biggest carrier, is also building a cargo terminal at the airport and expanding its fleet because of the demand growth.
"The current two-runway system is forecast to be saturated by around 2020," Marvin Cheung, chairman of the authority, said in the statement. "This could irrevocably harm Hong Kong's position as a global aviation hub. The rising demand is the reality that we need to confront."
The authority may need to reclaim about 650 hectares of land from the sea to build the new runway.
Groups including Civic Party lawmakers have opposed the plan on concerns about the effect on marine wildlife, including endangered pink dolphins.
The new runway will help the airport meet a forecast demand of 97 million passengers by 2030, Airport Authority Hong Kong said in a statement yesterday.
The project, which may take about nine years to complete, will also help handle 8.9 million tons of cargo.
The government-owned airport operator plans to expand capacity in anticipation of a doubling in traffic as rising wages in China make air travel affordable to more people. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, the city's biggest carrier, is also building a cargo terminal at the airport and expanding its fleet because of the demand growth.
"The current two-runway system is forecast to be saturated by around 2020," Marvin Cheung, chairman of the authority, said in the statement. "This could irrevocably harm Hong Kong's position as a global aviation hub. The rising demand is the reality that we need to confront."
The authority may need to reclaim about 650 hectares of land from the sea to build the new runway.
Groups including Civic Party lawmakers have opposed the plan on concerns about the effect on marine wildlife, including endangered pink dolphins.
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