Insufficient Civil Flight Paths and Airspace in PRD Region (22 March2006)

MR JAMES TIEN (in Chinese): President, people in the aviation industry have pointed out that civil flight paths and airspace are insufficient in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has conducted any studies on this problem; if so, of the results;
(b) of the implications of this problem on Hong Kong's position as an aviation hub in the Asia Pacific Region, the aviation industry and travellers, and so on; and
(c) of the measures that have been taken and the plans to be undertaken to address this problem since its emergence?

SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LABOUR (in Chinese): President,

(a) Since the opening of the Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has been studying ways to improve the air routes and flight procedures for aircraft operating to and from Hong Kong, with a view to optimizing the use of the airspace and enhancing the efficiency of aircraft operation. In view of the increasing air traffic in the PRD Region, the PRD Air Traffic Management Implementation Working Group (the tripartite working group) was set up by the civil aviation authorities of the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong in 2004 to study the issue of
airspace management in the PRD. The study indicates that the lack of sufficient air routes and airspace for civil aviation within the PRD is the major cause of the airspace problem. It has been aggravated by the difficulty in optimizing air traffic control co-ordination as a result of the high concentration of airports within the PRD Region and the involvement of three different aviation authorities in the management of the airspace.

(b) To Hong Kong, the lack of sufficient air routes and airspace within the PRD Region for civil aviation is causing delays to flights between Hong Kong and the Mainland. This has increased the operating cost of the aviation industry and caused inconvenience to passengers. In the long term, this would affect our ability in further expanding Hong Kong's aviation network into the Mainland which is crucial to maintaining our aviation hub status.

(c) To resolve the airspace problem, the tripartite working group is in the process of formulating an overall plan for the future airspace management in the PRD at the working level. The study aims to make optimal and effective arrangements for air routes and flight procedures to improve the efficiency of air traffic management in the PRD Region. The Government is also seeking the support of concerned departments in the Central Government to help resolve the PRD airspace problem. In parallel, the CAD will conduct a comprehensive review on Hong Kong's air traffic control facilities and identify improvement measures such as upgrading or replacement of the existing air traffic
control system; implementation of satellite-based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management System; introduction of more information technology application systems, and so on, with a view to meeting the requirements of the future airspace management system.