The chaos at Chek Lap Kok yesterday forced the main air cargo operator to move back to Kai Tak.
HACTL, the company that handles nearly all air freight, reopened its Kai Tak Terminal 2. It said the Airport Authority had exerted 'tremendous pressure' on it to move to the new airport where a computer bug meant it could not retrieve shipping records.
The cargo breakdown was the latest in a string of problems that has hit Chek Lap Kok since it opened. Passengers faced long flight and baggage delays on Monday and there were numerous other complaints, ranging from out-of-order escalators to no air-conditioning.
Last night, HACTL suspended for 24 hours all air cargo imports and exports on passenger flights except for perishables, medical supplies and other vital goods. Managing director Anthony Charter said: 'The situation is extremely difficult and strategic decisions have to be taken.' The company was taking goods which landed at Chek Lap Kok to Kai Tak and sorting them out there.
The cargo crisis came as the authority appeared to have solved the baggage problem that on Monday meant 10,000 bags missed flights. Lufthansa station manager Bernhard Tympel said: 'Our flight today left with baggage but no cargo. Yesterday it was the other way around.' Chief Secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang said after an emergency meeting that she and her colleagues were 'very concerned'. Authority chief executive Dr Hank Townsend, who described the list of problems as 'comments', said start-up problems were inevitable. He denied the airport had opened too early.
However, he conceded that HACTL, which had planned to continue at Kai Tak until next month, had been encouraged to open early, but said: 'The problems they are experiencing are manageable.' Dr Townsend released a list of improvements, ranging from baggage handling to getting extra cleaners for the dirty toilets. 'We are very concerned about the reasons why the problems arose. But at present, I don't think we have any evidence of negligence,' he said.
Raymond Lam Yui-wai, Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarders spokesman, said the cargo crisis would hit mostly exports of clothing and electronics. 'The situation is terrible,' he said. The cost could run into millions of dollars.
