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The following are the opening remarks (English portion) by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the press conference on the Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030 today (June 2):
Good afternoon. The Government fully supports the initiative of the Airport Authority Hong Kong to publish the Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030 today for a three-month consultation period.
The Master Plan 2030 explores the future development strategies and directions of our airport. This is a very important topic because airport development is not just an airport matter. Apart from serving passengers, our airport, more importantly, supports economic development and generates economic benefits and employment opportunities. All sectors need the flow of people and goods in their daily operations and in maintaining their competitiveness. As the Chairman just pointed out, Hong Kong's current success in economic development has much to do with the world-class airport in Hong Kong.
Last year's passenger and cargo numbers broke records by exceeding 50 million and 4 million tonnes of cargo respectively. Our success as an international aviation hub has been hard earned. Our airport capacity can cope with demand up to 2020, but what next? Regional and international competition will not wait for us to make a decision, so we need to address this important issue now.
I urge everyone in the community to make good use of this opportunity to express their views during the public consultation. The Master Plan 2030 is more than a matter for aviation, logistics or tourism. It is about our future competitiveness and strategic development. So it concerns everyone in Hong Kong.
There are concerns about the environmental impact of large-scale infrastructural works projects. I do not think we should necessarily take it that infrastructure and environmental protection cannot go hand in hand, posing one against the other. We need to find a sustainable balance.
We expect to receive a recommendation on the way forward from the Authority by the end of the year after the completion of the public consultation. The Government will carefully consider the recommendation, with a view to deciding on the next stage of work. This mainly includes funding arrangements, detailed engineering design and statutory environmental impact assessment. In taking this forward, the Government and the Authority will liaise with the stakeholders and carry out appropriate consultations.
Finally, I sincerely hope that the public consultation launched by the Authority today will bring about a consensus in the community on the way forward.
Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the opening remarks.)
Ends/Thursday, June 2, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:52
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