Sky's near the limit above Hong Kong's airport as holding times increase
Holding times over Chek Lap Kok are getting longer. But a third runway may not solve the problem
Less than a mile out from the north runway at Chek Lap Kok on March 5, strong and squally winds start to rattle Hong Kong Airlines flight 253 from Taipei.
With the sea only 150 metres below, the landing gear deployed and touchdown near, the aircraft's engines power up, sending the plane skyward. The landing is aborted.
The pilot calmly tells passengers: "We do not have the extra fuel to re-route a second approach for landing into Hong Kong. And as such, I have decided, for our safety, we will be diverting to Shenzhen for refuelling."
The flight was one of a dozen jets diverted that day due to a phenomenon known as wind shear. Scientists at the Observatory said the event was the worst to hit the airport since records began in 2011. Lantau is notorious for the phenomenon of rapid changes in windspeed and direction near the ground.
Passengers on Flight 253 reported that the pilot said the winds "were very, very strong", and as such it "wasn't safe" to make the landing.
While the weather situation was unusual, the events of March 5 also reflect an everyday problem - namely the congested skies above Chek Lap Kok.
And it is a problem that needs a solution after the Executive Council approved the Airport Authority's HK$141.5 billion plan for a third runway that will expand the airport's capacity.