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30-Dec-2011 9:14 AM

Airport Authority of Hong Kong recommends adoption of three-runway option at Hong Kong Airport

Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) recommended (29-Dec-2011) that the Hong Kong Government to adopt three-runway option as Hong Kong International Airport's development direction after a three-month public consultation on its development plan. The authority stated the proposed third runway, estimated to cost HKD136.2 billion (USD17.5 billion), is necessary to keep up with rapid growth in air traffic as the two existing runways are forecast to be saturated by 2020. AAHK stated members of the public have shown a "clear preference...to meet the city's long-term air traffic demand by developing a three-runway system", according to an independent report produced by the Social Sciences Research Centre (SSRC) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The airport said 73% of the 24,242 respondents to a survey preferred the three-runway system with 11% opting to maintain the two-runway system and 16% remaining neutral. The primary areas of concern regarding the project are the environmental impact of the third runway and whether there was enough information in the consultation paper documents to adequately evaluate the impact of the options, the airport noted. Cathay Pacific and Dragonair both welcomed (29-Dec-2011) the recommendation, with both carriers believing that a third runway is the only viable option to ensure the the long-term competitiveness of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) similarly welcomed (29-Dec-2011) the recommendation noting that "building of the third runway is of vital importance to expansion of the airport's capacity. This will undoubtedly benefit a long term and unconstrained growth of the airport and therefore uphold Hong Kong's position as the regional and international leading aviation centre." [more - original PR - Hong Kong International Airport] [more - original PR - Cathay Pacific] [more - original PR - Dragonair] [more - original PR - HAECO]

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