The chaos at the new international airport has left a nasty taste in the mouths of the people of Hong Kong. For nine years this project has been billed as the new flagship for the SAR, to lead Hong Kong into the new millennium. The shambles surrounding its opening have undoubtedly undermined our position as the leading trading and tourist centre for the region. As your editorial of July 8 pointed out, teething problems are inevitable in such a colossal undertaking, but clearly what we are witnessing goes far beyond this. What is more baffling is that senior management both at Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) and the Airport Authority are passing the buck. People at HACTL are saying that they were under tremendous pressure from the Airport Authority to move on July 6, despite the fact that their contract does not require them to be ready till mid-August. People at the Airport Authority meanwhile say that they should have been informed of HACTL's unreadiness. Back at the passengers' terminal it is obvious that whatever trials were undertaken were not adequate and as the Airport Authority has ultimate control over the entire project, it should be held responsible. The buck has to stop somewhere and it should stop with the chairman and chief executive of the authority, despite what they think. It is unacceptable to pass off all the problems as minor hiccups; the supervision of the implementation of services at the airport has been questionable. Whether the airport was forced into operation to meet the visiting schedules of presidents Jiang Zeminand Bill Clinton, regardless of its readiness, is debatable, but perhaps it was one of the considerations. Perhaps the powers-that-be thought this would be the perfect time to introduce the airport to the rest of the world and perhaps this has backfired. What we need now is to get everything back to order in the shortest time possible. YANG CHI-HSIN Mid-Levels Kai Tak Airport has served Hong Kong splendidly for decades. It was one of the most spectacular airports in the world. Hong Kong is certainly losing one of its attractions without Kai Tak. Chek Lap Kok might go down in history as one big, expensive blunder. With an airport in Shenzhen and one in Macau, Hong Kong could have done without this giant monstrosity. When trees were felled and land cleared, killing off animals and insects, this interference with nature boded ill for the new project. Instead of turning Kai Tak into another jungle of high-rises, or into a park, why don't we retain Kai Tak as another airport? For example, to get to London, passengers have two choices, Heathrow and Gatwick. If we retained Kai Tak (even at this late stage), some flights could still use this airport. This would be an opportunity to employ some of the 130,000 workers laid off in the past year. The Government with its huge financial reserves could afford to build the Airport Express, but think of the expense to the general public and the inconvenience of reaching the various city terminal points. Think of the poor taxi drivers bemoaning the loss of business when far fewer people take taxis to Chek Lap Kok. Could we not save the day by reviving Kai Tak, at least partially? NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
