The airport projects chief yesterday denied he intended to give officials a 'false sense of security' about the readiness of the air cargo terminal at Chek Lap Kok. New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office director Keith Kwok Ka-keung said reports he made to the Airport Development Steering Committee, chaired by Anson Chan Fang On-sang, were based on information he believed was accurate at the time. Under cross-examination from Benjamin Yu SC at the Commission of Inquiry on the New Airport, Mr Kwok said he reported that SuperTerminal 1 would be at 60 to 65 per cent capacity by opening day. He admitted the office had no expertise in the air cargo field and had come to the conclusion through information gathered from the Airport Authority and terminal proprietors Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited. Mr Yu said: 'But this is misleading because you have not actually looked at one significant element of [the terminal's] operational readiness. 'You were giving the committee a false sense of security that you were accurately and critically assessing [HACTL's] operational readiness when in fact all you were addressing was their own representation to you.' Commission chairman Mr Justice Woo Kwok-hing agreed the information 'might be defective' as the office lacked the 'technical know-how' to fully assess it. Mr Kwok said he acted on information he had at the time. The inquiry continues.
