Two rescue boats commissioned for Chek Lap Kok airport and together worth $96 million were put through their paces yesterday.
Authorities say the boats are among the world's best and will ensure fast and smooth rescues if a plane crashes into the sea.
No medical staff will be stationed on the boats, but firefighters manning them will have first aid training.
The boats were designed with Chek Lap Kok in mind and are able to operate in typhoons.
'It's an airport built on sea, so we have to have adequate sea rescue,' Airport Authority corporate development director Clinton Leeks said.
The boats can operate in signal 10 typhoons, 60-knot winds and five metre seas. They will take two to three minutes to reach the five-kilometre airport limit.
