A passenger plane taxis at Hong Kong International Airport. The airport is predicted to carry 12.2 percent more cargo every year, reaching 5.3 million metric tons in 2014. Nelson Ching / Bloomberg

Int'l passenger traffic to grow 6.7% annually through 2014

Hong Kong, the world's busiest freight airport in 2010, needs a third runway as international passenger traffic could grow at a 6.7 percent annual pace through 2014, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled a record 51 million passengers and moved more than 4 million metric tons of cargo last year, accounting for about 90 percent of its full capacity, according to the IATA.

"The current two runways are near saturation," IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani told reporters in Hong Kong Wednesday. "A third runway is needed and the time to start planning is now."

Hong Kong's international passenger numbers may increase to 62.2 million in 2014, Bisignani said. He also forecast that the airport may carry 12.2 percent more cargo every year to reach 5.3 million metric tons in 2014.

As early as 2007, the Aviation Policy and Research Center at the Chinese University of Hong Kong had published a report named "HKIA's third runway - the key for enhancing Hong Kong's aviation position", which urged the construction of a new runway to prevent significant impairment to the city's economy due to a delay in the project.

Law Cheung-kwok, a professor at the center told media in January 2011 that although construction of a new runway and related facilities may cost as much as HK$100 billion, it will bring in tremendous economic benefits to the city and the spending will be "absolutely worth the money".

One single flight unable to take off or land in Hong Kong airport due to full capacity will cause a loss of HK$400,000, according to Law, who added that if flight traffic grows at 6 percent a year, valuable economic benefits will fall to neighboring airports instead.

Guangzhou, for example, has benefited from national plans and is increasing its runways from two to five, in a bid to strengthen its international competitiveness. Shenzhen is planning to expand its current single runway into three while Zhuhai has also proposed building a second runway.

"The Hong Kong government is wealthy and it is well capable of building a third runway," Chan Yan-chong, an associate professor at City University of Hong Kong, told China Daily.

He said although nearby mainland airports have been more aggressive in expanding their capacities, they are not necessarily a threat to Hong Kong International Airport. These airports are likely to coordinate with others in the Pearl River Delta region later, he added.

Chan said there should be a professional body to evaluate the economic benefits, technical requirements as well as environmental protection measures required when evaluating the need for a new runway.

The city will hold a public consultation on the issue in April this year. Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng said in January that the Airport Authority is formulating a master plan on airport development in the next 20 years, exploring the feasibility of building a third runway and conducting preliminary studies.

Bloomberg contributed to this story.

China Daily

(HK Edition 02/17/2011 page2)