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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, at Cathay Pacific "Let us take you under our wing" New Livery Unveiling Event this afternoon (November 1):
Ivan (Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific, Mr Ivan Chu), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to join you here today at Cathay Pacific (CX)'s new livery unveiling event.
I was in Vienna last week and the first thing I did after a nice flight on Cathay Pacific was signing an Air Services Agreement, or ASA in short, with the Austrian Federal Government. Austria is one of Hong Kong's 64 aviation partners, and we are working for more partners. The new ASA is part of the HKSAR Government's continuous efforts in negotiating better agreements and expanding Hong Kong's aviation network.
Nowadays there are two key words for a truly great aviation hub. The first, as ever, is "Connectivity". The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been the busiest air cargo hub in the world since 2010 and third busiest airport for international passengers (after Dubai and London Heathrow) since 2013. In the first nine months of this year, we saw an 8.4 per cent year-on-year growth of passenger trips to 51.2 million. This is an enviable achievement made possible through the concerted efforts of the aviation community in Hong Kong, whom I commend.
CX plays a significant part in this process of growing our aviation sector for nearly seven decades, by offering nearly 200 global destinations with its fleet of more than 140 wide-body aircraft. Our connectivity is also enhanced by smooth multi-modal transfer facilities by road and by sea.
The second keyword of a great aviation hub is "Sustainability". The Hong Kong International Airport is committed to be one of the greenest airports in the world. HKIA and CX, being our major home carrier, are naturally close partners in this quest. CX is investing in new generation aircraft, retiring older and less fuel-efficient aircraft, and working with air navigation service providers including regulators and airport authorities around the world to improve route efficiency. It also builds a tight bond with the Hong Kong community through supporting large-scale, international events to take place here.
In the light of growing demand for aviation services, particularly when world economic activities are shifting eastward, Hong Kong International Airport needs a three-runway system to ensure it has the capacity for sustainable growth. AAHK (Airport Authority Hong Kong) has already finalised its financial plan to support this mammoth project costing HK$141.5 billion in MOD terms. For the sake of preserving our environment, the Airport Authority plans to invest up to HK$22 billion in more environmentally friendly construction methods, such as using advanced reclamation methods and horizontal directional drilling, as well as various conservation and environmental protection measures.
Sustainability is also about resilience. The connectivity of our airport and the Lantau Island became a community concern in the past week, when the impact alarm system of the Kap Shui Mun Bridge was triggered, leading to a full closure of the Lantau Link. I am not going to say too much about this. But in response to the concern about the so-called "No land link" scenario of the airport, let me put it straight. Our new international airport has been in place for nearly 18 years, and what happened last Friday, first of all, it was unexpected and secondly it was very rare. Our airport has been thriving over the last 17 to 18 years. So when you look at last Friday's event, don't just look at what we might have done better; don't just confine to what we have not done, but we have to be fair to what we have done, to what we have in place. Of course we have to do more in order to ensure that our airport and Lantau, of course, is always well served by various transport facilities. So in line with that objective, I told the media last Thursday after an inter-departmental meeting of the Government that relevant departments as well as the Airport Authority are reviewing the incident and we are going to enhance the 4"C"s, that is, contingency, communication, control and connectivity. We will enhance the information dissemination mechanism, including the use of one-stop platform for timely communication and accurate information. We will explore whether there is room for relief measures like emergency ferries to be speeded up under an extreme "No land link" scenario. The Marine Department has already started talking to the tug boat and barge sector and it has also piloted sea patrol arrangements in that area. Construction of an additional land link, that is the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, is already ongoing, and it will be completed in around three years' time. That will be another land link to Lantau, and of course to the airport. Subject to the availability of funds, we also hoping to start the initial planning of a third land link (Route 11) connecting Yuen Long and North Lantau.
Again on this important occasion of Cathay Pacific, let me say that I am most positive about the aviation future of Hong Kong. I am glad to hear similar optimism from CX and to see that CX is investing further in its home based operation in Hong Kong.
Thank you.
Ends/Sunday, November 1, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:08
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