THE Government is facing mounting pressure as Federal Express (Fedex) joins DHL Worldwide Express to lobby for a dedicated terminal at the new Chek Lap Kok airport for the express industry.
Mr John Allison Fedex managing director for Hongkong, Macau and China, said although the current level of services provided by a third party through Kai Tak airport was good, Fedex would be able to outdo this service level with its own terminal.
''If the goods were within our hands and if we were to keep the loop closed, and we control the movement of the goods all the way through, then certainly we can hold ourselves more responsible than we can a third party,'' he said.
His statement follows DHL International general manager Andy Tseng's recent statement that failure to improve Kai Tak's cargo-handling facilities - which is already forcing foreign companies to re-route parcels via Singapore - will hurt the territory's pivotal role in world trade.
The courier company claims packages clear customs and cargo processes in just one hour in Singapore's express cargo centre compared with three or four hours in Hongkong.
DHL Worldwide Express is proposing a completely separate terminal and cargo handling operator for express cargo at Chek Lap Kok, run by a co-operative body similar to Hongkong Air Cargo Terminal Ltd in which DHL would be a major shareholder.
It claims this proposal would streamline the process by bringing under one roof responsibility for both ground handling rights as well as terminal operation rights.