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Following is the speech by the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, at the New Civil Aviation Department Headquarters Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony today (November 27):
The Honourable Chief Secretary for Administration
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
A very good afternoon.
On behalf of the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), may I extend a very warm welcome to all of you for attending the New CAD Headquarters Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony.
Today, we are most delighted to have the Honourable Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, to officiate. The Chief Secretary has always shown immense interest in the development of the air transport industry and has rendered his full support to aviation development in Hong Kong.
This year is no doubt a very difficult year for the aviation sector. But I am most encouraged to see that our future is still on the bright side as reflected by the latest air traffic statistics. Looking ahead, air transport in the Asia Pacific region, in particular our motherland China is growing rapidly. In fact, in about 10 years time, the Asia Pacific region will probably become the largest air transport market in the world. All these are opportunities but at the same time challenges that we need to face in the near future. With awareness on the continuous traffic growth and to go one step ahead of the service demand, we see the need of a new CAD Project to replace the existing 15-year-old Air Traffic Control (ATC) system and at the same time develop a new Headquarters to house both the new ATC system and all our regulatory offices. May I take this opportunity to thank all our industry partners here today for your continuous support of this project. This project is vital to sustain the long-term growth of the aviation industry and to keep Hong Kong at the cutting edge of the competition. A special note of thanks must also goes to the Airport Authority Hong Kong for providing us with the site for our new premises.
I would also like to express my most sincere appreciation to the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng and her colleagues and all Legco members for their strong support. I firmly believe that the project would not have materialised without your guidance and approval.
Sustainability, environmental friendliness and centre of excellence in aviation training are the main design themes of the new CAD building. The new building will be able to provide a sustainable one-stop-shop service to the industry partners and the general public. It will also provide adequate space and flexibility for future expansion of the department. With our new Air Traffic Control Centre, the present controller work stations will be doubled to 56 and we will be able to cater for the air traffic demand up to at least the year 2025.
Our new building will be certified with the highest platinum rating under the Building Environmental Assessment Method in Hong Kong. It will bring together environmentally friendly facilities to make better use of natural lighting inside the building, water recycling system for toilet flushing and a large portion of the site area will be reserved for green roofs and landscaped terraces.
In the new headquarters, multi-purpose training facilities will be in place to support a wide range of conferences, seminars and training courses organised at the local, regional and international levels. Furthermore, an education path will be established to display information and exhibits relating to the historical development of aviation in Hong Kong. All these will help to take us closer to develop Hong Kong as a centre of excellence in aviation training.
With the laying of the foundation stone of the new CAD Headquarters today by the Chief Secretary, we have passed an important milestone of the project. I am pleased to advise that the project is making good progress despite its scale and complexity. The construction of the new CAD Headquarters is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2012 and the new Air Traffic Control Centre will be fully functional by the end of 2013 with all systems installed and tested. With the state-of-the-art ATC system, enhanced airspace management procedures and a competent and sufficient workforce, we shall be able to meet the future demand of the rapidly growing industry. With the concerted efforts of all our industry partners and policy support of the Government, we shall be able to upkeep Hong Kong as an international and regional aviation hub.
Before ending my speech, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Architectural Services Department, Government Logistics Department, Government Property Agency and many other organisations for their assistance, support and advice on this project. And, my special thanks to all my colleagues for your tremendous support in the past few years and I will count on your continuous dedication and devotion in the years ahead. Last but not least, I must thank Dragages Hong Kong for organising this important ceremony and once again, the Honourable Chief Secretary, Mr Henry Tang and the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, for taking your valuable time to honour us with your presence.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Friday, November 27, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:20
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