AVIATION officials have begun discreet talks with district board members to strike a deal which would result in an extra hour of flights at night in and out of Kai Tak.
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) wants to extend the use of the airport until 1 am, an hour later than the present curfew.
With Kai Tak now operating at saturation point, an extension into the midnight to 6.30 am hours where there are no scheduled flights is the only way to further maximise its use.
A CAD spokesman yesterday confirmed the talks had taken place, but would not say which boards or which members had been involved.
''There is no formal intention by the department [to extend flights beyond midnight] but there are informal exchanges of views to gauge the opinion of district board members,'' he said.
He said the hour extension would be traded for a guarantee which promised that certain periods at night would be flight free.