Passengers to pay HK$180 construction fee for new Hong Kong runway under funding plan

The construction funding of a multibillion-dollar third airport runway is set to bypass legislative scrutiny under a financing plan that includes levying surcharges on passengers and airlines.

Adopting a "user pays" principle, the plan circumvents the need for vetting on the Legislative Council's Finance Committee, raising concerns from lawmakers about the risks of reduced accountability.

But Fred Lam Tin-fuk, chief executive of the Airport Authority, said the financing plan was the "fairest" method.

He said: "Our suggested user-pay principle makes good sense, because subsidising the project through the government means local taxpayers would be footing the bill for overseas passengers."

The Executive Council gave its long-awaited approval to the authority yesterday to build the runway, with construction works possibly starting as early as next year despite unresolved issues about regional airspace and a judicial review over its environmental impact report.

Upon its planned completion in 2023, the runway will allow Chek Lap Kok airport to serve 30 million more passengers a year.