Hong Kong should just scrap its faulty air traffic control system
Albert Cheng says after a series of worrying glitches, Asia’s premier aviation hub should bite the bullet and buy another more reliable system. And those who made the wrong call should be held accountable
Hong Kong’s new HK$1.56 billion air traffic control system was originally planned for 2012, but the start date had to be deferred because of various problems. The Civil Aviation Department had to throw in millions of dollars more for manufacturer Raytheon to make improvements before its roll-out in the city.
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Initially, the department reduced the daily landings and take-offs to prevent overloading the problematic system in an attempt to ensure a smooth transition when it was fully commissioned last month. Despite this, glitches were still reported.
In the latest malfunction, the system blanked out and failed to display flight information for 26 seconds. As a result, planes had to be stopped from departing. The fault has aroused extensive public concerns about aviation safety. The department has tried in vain to play down the seriousness of the issue. Meanwhile, no official has accepted responsibility or been held accountable for the wrong call in purchasing the new system.
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Norman Lo Shung-man, the former director general of civil aviation who presided over the procurement of the air traffic control system, has a lot to answer for. No doubt Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung was led by the nose, as he is not an expert in the field with adequate knowledge of aviation operation.
It is sheer luck that there has not been a fatal accident
In 2011, two years after the tender opened for a new air traffic control system to replace Hong Kong’s ageing one, US military contractor Raytheon won the bid with its AutoTrac 3 system. The new system was meant to be commissioned in 2012, but was postponed when no verified record of its good performance could be found. It was then revealed that no airport had fully rolled out the air traffic system before the Hong Kong tender closed in 2010. India’s New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai airports only started using the system in 2011, and Dubai in 2012.
Was the Central Tender Board misled by civil aviation officials that there was positive feedback on the system? Media reports later revealed that Hong Kong officials did not visit the airports in India and Dubai until after Raytheon had won the bid.
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Obviously, the Civil Aviation Department made a bad decision and it is sheer luck that there has not been a fatal accident.