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The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (December 4) begins to implement a new data link service for delivery of Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Hong Kong is among the first in the Asia Pacific region to use this new service to enhance flight efficiency.
Speaking at the implementation ceremony held at the Backup Air Traffic Control Tower, Mr Albert Lam, Director-General of Civil Aviation highlighted that the new service gave an alternative means of communicating pre-departure air traffic control clearances between pilots and air traffic controllers.
"The new service could reduce the workload of pilots and air traffic controllers and enable them to manage their time better; reduce congestion in radio channel; and enhance data integrity and operational efficiency.
"With the implementation of clearance data link service, the provision of pre-departure clearance information in respect of the departure routes, altitude restrictions and cruising levels etc., which are used to be provided through radio communication, can now be transmitted via data link for display or print out in the cockpit to reduce pilots' workload," Mr Lam said.
CAD started technical trials on PDC delivery via data link with the three local airlines, namely Cathay Pacific Airways (CPA), Hong Kong Dragon Airlines and Air Hong Kong in September 2000. With the successful conclusion of the technical trials, operational trials commenced since October 2000 again with satisfactory results. An average of more than 70 departing flights are now using the data link service, which represents about 30 per cent of the total flights departing at HKIA every day.
"Given the encouraging trials results and favourable feedback received from the pilots, airlines and air traffic controllers, CAD has decided to put the clearance delivery via data link into operational use starting today," Mr Lam added.
The data link service represents the second operational system of the 18-year long Satellite-based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Project undertaken by CAD since 1999 to enhance flight efficiency and further improve safety.
The PDC data link service is at present operational in airports in Korea, Australia, Denmark, France and USA. It is also on trials in Belgium and UK.
Also present at today's implementation ceremony were Captain Jeff Turner, General Manager Operations of CPA, and Mr David Fung, Regional Manager - Asia, AIRCOM, SITA, which is the network provider for the delivery of PDC messages.
End/Tuesday, December 4, 2001
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