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The Topping-out Ceremony for the new Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Headquarters was held today (July 11). Construction of the CAD Headquarters is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. It will provide quality services for the industry and the general public.
The design of the building incorporates sustainable, environmentally friendly and educational themes. All facilities are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2013. Upon the commissioning of the new headquarters, not only will it be able to centralise all functional divisions of the department, but it will also provide a new Air Traffic Control Centre with state-of-the-art equipment and more controller workstations to cater for future medium- to long-term air traffic demand. It will also provide sufficient space and flexibility for future expansion. In addition, some of the facilities of the new headquarters will be opened to the public.
Speaking at the Topping-out Ceremony, the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, said, "The new headquarters will enhance internal operational efficiency as well as contribute to better and more efficient service for the aviation industry as all functional divisions of the CAD will be brought under one roof. The CAD new headquarters project is one of our many initiatives to strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness and its status as an international and regional aviation centre."
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, said that the new facilities will enable the CAD to adopt a more proactive role in organising aviation-related activities, such as meetings and international training programmes, with a view to promoting Hong Kong as an international and regional aviation hub.
In addition to Ms Cheng and Mr Lo, the officiating guests attending the Topping-out Ceremony included the Director of Architectural Services, Mrs Marigold Lau, and the Managing Director of Dragages Hong Kong Limited, Mr Nicolas Borit. They signed a commemorative stone plaque, which will later be laid at the headquarters, as an important CAD milestone.
Ends/Monday, July 11, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:36
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