Aviation regulator confirms HK$1.5b project will not be rolled out for eight more months, with introduction to come in phases due to typhoon season
DANNY.LEE@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Friday, 25 March, 2016, 8:01am
Once fully operational, the new system can handle 8,000 flight plans per day and simultaneously monitor 1,500 air or ground movements. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A malfunctioning new air traffic system will not be fully operational for eight more months, in the latest delay to the HK$1.5 billion project, Hong Kong’s aviation regulator has confirmed.
In the latest Legislative Council panel hearing on economic development, Yau Shing-mu, the undersecretary for transport and housing, told lawmakers the original launch date of June would be altered to gradually introduce the new US-made radar system – Raytheon’s Auto Trac III (AT3) – for a couple of hours a day.
Yau reassured lawmakers the new system was safe to use and reliably tested, citing the vote of confidence by its independent consultants – Britain’s National Air Traffic Service.
“The system itself, in terms of reliability and safety, is free of problems [and] should be able to be put into operation in June,” Yau said.
In response to lawmakers’ questions about the assessment provided by its consultants, Yau said: “The overall system and reliability level is aligned with air traffic services in London and Singapore. That’s why we have confidence in the system.”
The Civil Aviation Department said ahead of the full roll-out in November, flight controllers needed more training and time to get to grips with the upgraded air navigation operations and technology.
Yau said that once refinements to the system were tinkered with and staff training enhanced, he could “assure members our ATC staff officers will continue to provide quality and safe aviation services.”
With the threat of an active typhoon season that could plague aircraft operations, the department accepted a recommendation from British consultants to phase-in an introduction to minimise delays.
Once fully operational, the new system can handle 8,000 flight plans per day and simultaneously monitor 1,500 air or ground movements – five times and 1.5 times respectively what the existing system can cope with.
Meanwhile, little progress
seemed to have been made between Hong Kong and the mainland regarding the handling of airspace in the Pearl River Delta – including airspace and flight paths for the third runway.
Representatives from the department, the Transport Bureau and their mainland counterparts met on Wednesday.
In a statement, the department said it was confident an airspace agreement could be made with the mainland and Macau, particularly regarding the third runway and raising the number of flights to 102 per hour.
However, the Hong Kong and mainland authorities acknowledged delays were a growing issue, and representatives explored ways to improve the on-time performance of airlines.
This came after Cathay Pacific revealed delays and congestion cost the company HK$1 billion last year.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1930053/delayed-take-further-hold-hk15-billion-raytheon-autotrac-iii
