During the peak air traffic flow in the period of the Lunar New Year (LNY) holidays, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) handled a record-high number of overflights (i.e. flights flying through the Hong Kong Flight Information Region without taking off or landing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)) in a single day and set a new record in handling over 2 000 daily flight movements for 11 consecutive days.

     The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Simon Li, today (February 1) expressed his gratitude to CAD staff for their dedication and diligence in providing round-the-clock air traffic services to the public during the festive period in a safe and efficient manner. Air traffic services were maintained to be safe, efficient and smooth amid a surge in air traffic flow within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region.

     The new single-day overflights record of 939 flights was set on January 25, 2017. The previous record, set on August 3, 2016, was 936 flights.

     Apart from setting a single-day record, the daily flight movements at HKIA and the number of overflights during the peak air traffic period between January 19 and January 30 (the third day of the LNY) were both higher than the figures in the corresponding period a year earlier. There was a daily average of 1 155 flight movements at HKIA, representing about a 0.3 per cent increase when compared with the average of 1 151 daily flight movements at HKIA over the corresponding period a year earlier. In addition, there was a daily average of 900 overflights, representing an increase of about 8 per cent when compared with a daily average of 836 overflights during the corresponding period a year earlier. The new Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) handled a total of 2 055 flights per day on average, representing an increase of some 3 per cent when compared with 1 987 total flights per day handled by the old ATMS over the corresponding period a year earlier. Between January 19 and 29, the CAD handled over 2 000 daily flight movements for 11 consecutive days, which is the best proof of the outstanding performance of the air traffic control staff and the new ATMS in the face of persistently high demand for services.

     Please see the attached table for the flight movement statistics during the LNY.

     The new ATMS is able to handle 8 000 flight plans per day and can simultaneously monitor 1 500 air or ground targets (five times and 1.5 times the old system respectively), making it capable of coping with future air traffic growth, including what would be brought about when the three-runway-system commissions operation. The new system can enhance the CAD's capability in air traffic management and the competitiveness of HKIA in the region. The CAD will continue to closely monitor the performance of the new ATMS and expedite the system optimisation work.

Ends/Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:27

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