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Following is a question by the Hon Gary Fan and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (February 4):
Question:
At present, where an aircraft taking off at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) in Hong Kong needs to use the Mainland airspace, it must enter that airspace at a higher altitude, so as not to affect the safe operation of the aircraft taking off and landing at the airport in Shenzhen. Such altitude restriction (commonly known as the "sky wall") is 15 700 feet in the daytime. There are comments that the sky wall has indirectly rendered the number of aircraft movements of the two runways in Hong Kong unable to reach their designed capacity. On the other hand, the Airport Authority (AA) is planning to expand HKIA into a three-runway system. Some green groups and airport development concern groups have pointed out that the third runway of HKIA can operate effectively only if the Mainland authorities permit Hong Kong flights to use part of the lower airspace in Shenzhen. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it has studied if the flight path arrangement for the proposed third runway complies with flight safety requirements, and if AA has gained a full understanding of the impact of the current busy traffic at the lower airspace in Shenzhen on the flight path arrangement for the third runway; if it has conducted such studies, of the outcome;
(b) whether it has discussed with the Mainland authorities the granting of permission for Hong Kong flights to use part of the airspace in Shenzhen; whether the authorities will take forward the construction of the third runway only after they have reached such an agreement with the Mainland authorities; and
(c) given the comment that as the airport in Shenzhen is expanding continuously and the number of aircraft movements at the airport has been increasing, the Mainland authorities may not be willing to permit Hong Kong flights to use part of their airspace, whether the authorities have studied if, under such circumstances, the expected maximum capacity of 102 movements per hour can be reached after the commissioning of the three-runway system; if the study outcome is in the negative, of the maximum runway capacity per hour that the three-runway system can reach?
Reply:
President,
The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of the world's busiest cargo and passenger airports, and is a major driver of Hong Kong's economic growth. The HKIA under the existing two-runway system (2RS) will reach its maximum capacity in a few years' time. With the Government's support, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has been enhancing HKIA's facilities and capacity to cope with the growing demand for aviation services. As mega infrastructure projects take time to complete, we have to plan and implement the three-runway system (3RS) as soon as possible to prepare for the future, with a view to consolidating Hong Kong's status as an aviation hub, thereby enhancing the overall economic strength and competitiveness of Hong Kong.
My consolidated reply to the questions raised by the Hon Gary Fan is as follows.
First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to explain the so-called "air wall". The term "air wall" generally refers to the boundary between adjacent airspaces. To ensure that aircraft in adjacent airspaces operate concurrently in a safe and efficient manner, an aircraft must reach a certain altitude before an air traffic control (ATC) unit may hand over the control in respect of that aircraft to another ATC unit. This is to ensure that aircraft drawing near each other from opposite direction in adjacent airspaces could avoid conflicts by flying at different altitudes. This air traffic management arrangement seeks to safeguard flight safety, and is commonly applied by busy airports all over the world, including those in London and New York. As regards runway capacity, including that of the 2RS of HKIA, it is subject to the time interval and space separation required between aircraft movements on safety consideration, and has no relationship with the aforesaid air traffic management arrangement.
Given the close proximity between Shenzhen Airport and HKIA and the fact that the two airports are separately managed by two ATC units in the Mainland and in Hong Kong, an aircraft departing from HKIA must reach the designated handover altitude of 15 700 feet before it can enter the Mainland's airspace, and an aircraft from the Mainland has to fly at the designated handover altitude of over 19 000 feet when it enters our airspace. After discussions between the two sides, the handover altitude has since 2005 been lowered to 12 800 feet for aircraft entering the Mainland airspace during specified non-peak hours at night (i.e. 11pm to 7am the next day). The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) will maintain close liaison with the Mainland ATC unit in this respect.
There are a number of airports in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Due to the robust economic growth, the air traffic in the region has become busier day by day. As early as in 2004, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the CAD of Hong Kong and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao (CAAM) has set up a Tripartite Working Group (TWG) to formulate measures to improve the airspace structure and ATC arrangements in the PRD region to optimise the use of airspace and enhance safety. In 2007, the TWG drew up the "Pearl River Delta Region Air Traffic Management Planning and Implementation Plan (Version 2.0)" (the Plan), which clearly stipulated the short, medium and long term optimisation targets and measures to be achieved and implemented before 2020. The ultimate target of the Plan is to achieve joint airspace planning, use of common standards and harmonised flight procedure design for the air traffic in the region, thereby ensuring safe and efficient use of the airspace, for mutual benefits and a win-win situation to the three sides.
The Plan was drawn up by the three sides based on the safety standards promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In addition, the future expansion needs of the airports within the PRD region, including the development of the 3RS of the HKIA, the three-runway planning of Bao'an Airport in Shenzhen and the five-runway planning of Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou were taken into account during the formulation of the Plan. The Plan is premised on the mutual co-operation and coordination among Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macau with a view to optimising the use of PRD airspace resources through adjustment of flight procedures and optimisation of ATC measures, therefore facilitating the future development of the airports in the region.
The CAD has been maintaining close liaison with the CAAC and the CAAM through the TWG to discuss the implementation of the measures set out in the 2007 Plan. At the moment, a number of improvement measures in the Plan have been implemented, including the establishment of peripheral flight paths in the PRD region, the addition of handover points and the adjustment of the Zhuhai airspace structure. To cope with the development of the 3RS of the HKIA, the CAD will continue to discuss with the ATC units in the Mainland and in Macau on the enhancement of flight procedures and ATC measures through the TWG.
In January this year, I visited the CAAC to discuss the collaboration of airspace matters between the Mainland and Hong Kong, with a view to expediting the implementation of the various enhancement measures set out in the 2007 Plan. The CAAC expressed interest in the development of the aviation industry of Hong Kong, and was supportive of the development of the 3RS. The CAAC also supported the ATC units of the two places to maintain liaison and co-operation.
CAD is discussing with the ATC units in the Mainland, with a view to convening the next tripartite meeting as soon as possible to deliberate the arrangements for full implementation of the enhancement measures set out in the Plan, as well as the specific issues to be dealt with during the implementation process. The planning objective of the 3RS is to gradually achieve a maximum capacity of 102 movements per hour after the commissioning of the 3RS, in line with the growth of demand for aviation services.
President, amidst competition brought about by the active expansion plans of other airports in the region, the development of the 3RS is crucial to maintaining Hong Kong's status as a global aviation hub. Its strategic significance to the competitive strength of Hong Kong cannot be neglected. The 3RS will also bring about tremendous economic gains and create huge number of direct and indirect job opportunities for Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:56
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