HKIA Master Plan 2030: Over 70% of Respondents Prefer Three-runway System

Airport Authority recommends Government to adopt three-runway option as HKIA's development direction

Members of the public have shown a clear preference for Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) to meet the city's long-term air traffic demand by developing a three-runway system, according to an independent report produced by the Social Sciences Research Centre (SSRC) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The SSRC was appointed by AAHK to compile, analyse and report on the views collected during the three-month public consultation on Hong Kong International Airport Master Plan 2030 (MP2030) that was held between 3 June and 2 September 2011.

Responses to the feedback questionnaire on MP2030 were very encouraging. A total of 24,242 questionnaires received during the consultation were analysed in the main text of the report. Seventy-three per cent of respondents to the quantitative survey said they prefer the three-runway option, with 11% opting to maintain the two-runway system and 16% remaining neutral. The HKU report also indicated that the majority of respondents (80%) agree or strongly agree that AAHK should make a decision urgently on Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)'s future expansion plans, while just 6% hold the opposite view.

Having carefully considered the findings of the public consultation exercise - and the importance of meeting future demand growth and strengthening Hong Kong's role as a leading regional and international aviation centre - the Board of AAHK today submitted its recommendation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to adopt, for planning purposes, the three-runway option as the future development option for HKIA. The Board also recommended proceeding with the statutory Environmental Impact Assessment process and the preparation of associated design details.

In addition to over 24,000 questionnaires received online and from collection boxes located at HKIA and numerous roving exhibitions, SSRC also took into account qualitative comments collected through channels such as the public forums, Legislative Council and District Council meetings, signature campaigns, opinion surveys and more.

"We are very pleased to have received so many valuable views from the public and a wide range of stakeholders about the two development options we presented for HKIA," said Dr Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Chairman of AAHK. "There is a clear consensus on the need to make a decision regarding HKIA's expansion as soon as possible, and it is also clear that the majority of those who participated in the consultation prefer the third-runway option."

"The AAHK Board would like to express its heartfelt thanks to everyone who offered their views through the questionnaires and other platforms. The Board carefully considered all the feedback, and based on these deliberations, it has submitted its recommendation to Government to adopt the three-runway option as the future development blueprint for HKIA for planning purposes. We look forward to receiving Government's support for our recommendations and hope that a decision will be made as soon as practicable," Dr Cheung added.

Commenting on way forward, Stanley Hui Hon-chung, Chief Executive Officer of AAHK, said, "We are taking another important step in a long journey. We will continue our efforts to carefully plan ahead and engage our stakeholder groups as we prepare for the subsequent phases of work."

The public consultation generated extensive, in-depth discussion across the community on a broad range of issues related to MP2030, including the two-runway and three-runway development options for HKIA. Respondents to the quantitative survey were asked to evaluate eight key considerations impacting AAHK's decision on expansion, including HKIA's connectivity, Hong Kong's competitiveness, environmental impact, financial cost and others.

Qualitative findings confirmed a consensus among stakeholders that enhanced air connectivity results in increased economic growth, competitiveness and job creation. Respondents were also aware of the negative impact that could result from failing to build a third runway, with little in the way of dissent.

The primary areas of concern are the environmental impact of the third runway and whether there was enough information in the consultation paper documents to adequately evaluate the impact of the options. There is consensus that the statutory Environmental Impact Assessment should commence as soon as possible to allow the necessary informed debate about how the environmental impact could be mitigated.

"While a clear majority of respondents prefer building a third runway, we understand how important it is for us to avoid, minimise, mitigate and compensate for the environmental impact that could result," added Mr Hui. "No effort will be spared in addressing each of these issues, particularly marine ecology, aircraft noise and air quality. After the completion of the three-month consultation, we have continued engaging with our stakeholders, including professional bodies, young people, green groups, other NGOs and more. This dialogue will continue as we proceed further."

Professor John Bacon-Shone, Director of the SSRC of HKU said, "The AAHK solicited a large amount of feedback during the public consultation, and the SSRC took the utmost care to compile and analyse it in a fair and independent manner. We believe that the results of the quantitative and qualitative surveys presented in the report give a true indication of the preferences and attitudes of the respondents to the consultation."

The full HKU report (in English) and its executive summary (in English and Chinese) are available on www.hkairport2030.com and www.hkairport.com.