Hong Kong airspace ‘too crowded’ for third runway expansion, say experts
Hong Kong’s crowded airspace is like a 'saturated water pipe' and would prevent a multi-billion dollar third runway at the city’s international airport from meeting its expansion target, the former Observatory chief said.
Hong Kong’s crowded airspace is like a “saturated water pipe” and would prevent a multi-billion dollar third runway at the city’s international airport from meeting its expansion target, the former Observatory chief said today.
Former Observatory director Lam Chiu-ying cast doubts on the cost-effectiveness and financing plan of the proposed HK$141.5 billion third runway at Chek Lap Kok airport, saying that airspace in the Pearl River Delta was already too busy to accommodate more flights.
Upon its planned completion in 2023, the runway will reportedly allow Chek Lap Kok airport to serve 30 million more passengers a year.
But speaking during an RTHK radio show, Lam gave the example of a newly-built third runway at Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport. He said the facility, opened in February, had increased the airport’s traffic by just 10 flights per day because of a lack of airspace in the region.
Hong Kong airport faced the same problem, said Lam, who is now convener of concern group People’s Aviation Watch.