CONSTRUCTION of the second runway of the Chek Lap Kok airport should start as soon as possible, says Airport Authority chairman Wong Po-yan.
Mr Wong said no final decision had been taken yet.
Airline groups have been pressing the Government to bring forward the construction of the second runway, saying demand would exceed the capacity of a single runway from the day of opening in April 1998.
The authority has forecast 34 million passengers will use the airport in its first year, a million below the new airport's 35 million passenger a year capacity.
The second runway was supposed to open two years after the first one.
Mr Wong said the authority was waiting for the passenger and cargo traffic forecast.
No final decision could be made until those figures were ready.
