HK to increase flight capacity

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department (CAD) announced Thursday that as from Thursday (April 5), the aircraft spacing on several airways in the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR) over the South China Sea will be reduced from 40 nautical miles to 30 nautical miles in order to increase the capacity and efficiency on these airways.

CAD said, the new aircraft spacing will increase the flight capacity on these routes from Southeast Asia to Northeast Asian cities by 30 percent. The reduction also benefits flights operating at the Hong Kong International Airport and dovetails with the CAD's plan for enhancing runway capacity.

The airways concerned include A1, A202, G581, G86, M750, P901 and R339. The spacing reduction has been achieved through concerted efforts of many states and civil aviation administrations in the Asia-Pacific region. The CAD, in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, has for the past 18 months been pushing hard for the implementation of this initiative.

In view of the reliable surveillance and communication systems as well as the accurate navigation performance of aircraft in the FIRs involved, all air traffic control authorities concerned have agreed to the spacing reduction so as to increase operational efficiency.

To prepare for the implementation of the reduction in spacing, the CAD has worked with air traffic control agencies in adjacent FIRs, including Sanya, Zhanjiang and Taipei, to enhance the air traffic coordination and communication procedures applicable across the common FIR boundaries.

The enhanced procedures will ensure the continued provision of safe and efficient air traffic services after the reduction in spacing on the above airways.

The CAD also said, it will keep up efforts to enhance airspace management efficiency and increase the capacity of air routes within the Hong Kong FIR to satisfy the continued growth of air traffic in the region.