PRACTICAL MAXIMuM CAPACITY OF HKIA’S TWO-RuNWAY SYSTEM

Accordingtothe1992publishedNewAirportMasterPlan(NAMP),HongKongInternationalAirport(HKIA)wasdesignedtohandleanultimatecapacityof87millionpassengers,8.9milliontonnesofcargoand376,000airtrafficmovements(ATMs,alsoknownasflightmovements)perannumin2040.However,thelatestbase-casetrafficdemandforecastfromInternationalAirTransportAssociation(IATA)Consultingby2030is97millionpassengers,8.9milliontonnesofcargoand602,000ATMsperyear.Themainreasonforthediscrepancybetweenthe1992NAMPandtheIATAConsultingestimatesforannualATMsisthatmanyoftheworkingassumptionsadoptedbackinearly1990swerebasedontheoperatingenvironmentofKaiTakAirportwhichatthattimewashighlyconstrainedandfullystretched–

(a)The1992NAMPassumedtheforecastflightsatHKIAwouldcompriseaveryhighpercentageofwide-bodiedaircraft(84%),resultinginahighaveragepassengerloadforecastofover300peopleperaircraft.WhenKaiTakexhausteditsrunwaycapacity,itwasnaturalthatairlines

maximisedthevalueofeachslotbydeployingthebiggestaircraftpossible.TheopeningofHKIAwithtworunwayshasprovidedmorerunwaycapacityforairlinestoincreasefrequency,servenewsecondarydestinations(especiallyontheMainland)anddeploynarrow-bodiedaircraft(lessthan200seats)onroutesthathaveyettomature.Theaveragepassengerloadperaircraftasaresultdecreasedfromaround200atairportopeningin1998toabout190since2000.Forthesamepassengerthroughputof87millionpassengers,IATAConsultingforecaststhatitwouldentail437,000ATMs,insteadof278,000ATMsthatwereoriginallyestimatedintheNAMP.

(b)The1992NAMPalsoassumedextensiveuseofwide-bodiedfreighters(forexample,B747Fof100tonnes)andlowerthanactualcargotonnagecarriedbyfreighterat45%ofthetotalcargothroughput.Asitturnsout,theextraordinarygrowthofthecargomarketinthelastdecade(supportedbytheGovernment’sprogressiveliberalisationpoliciesonairservices)andtherapid

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developmentofexpresscargoservicesatHKIAhasresultedinamuchgreaterpercentageofcargotrafficbeingcarriedbyfreighter(at60%)andthegreateruseofmedium-sizedfreighters(forexample,A300Fof55tonnes),thusincreasingtheoverallATMsatHKIA.Asopposedto66,000freighterATMscarrying8.9milliontonnesthatwereforecastintheNAMP,IATAConsultingestimatesthat108,000freighterATMswouldberequired.

THEORETICAL RuNWAY CAPACITY OF THE TWO-RuNWAY SYSTEMUnderacompletelyunconstrainedenvironmentandoperatingundera“MixedMode”(i.e.allowingbothlandingandtake-off),arunwaycandeliveramaximumof44ATMsperhour8,basedonInternationalCivilAviationOrganization(ICAO)

recommendedpracticesandotherrelevantfactorssuchasthetrafficmixatHKIA.Accordingly,tworunwaysoperatingcompletelyindependentlyshouldtheoreticallydeliver88ATMsperhour(44ATMsx2).However,inreality,thisisrarelythecase.Duetodifferentconstraints,noneoftherunwaycapacitycurrentlydeclaredbyairportsintheregionwithtworunwayscouldreachthistheoreticalmaximum.

PRACTICAL MAXIMuM RuNWAY CAPACITY OF HKIAHKIAstartedwithasinglerunwayoperation(SouthRunway)with34ATMsperhourattheairportopeningin1998.Sincetheopeningofthesecondrunway(NorthRunway)in1999,thedualrunwaysystemhasbeenoperatingunderaSegregatedMode(i.e.SouthRunwaydedicatedtodeparturesandNorthRunwayto

Single Runway’s Arrival/Departure Cycle under a Mixed Mode OperationFigure

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Total Cycle (Landing & Take-off) = 68sec + 54sec + 45sec = 167sec

68sec 54sec 45sec

RUNWAY RUNWAY

Aircraft Landing Aircraft Take-Off

Note:Thelandingaircraftmustbeatleast3nauticalmilesfromtherunwayendwhenthedeparturebeginsandmaynottouchdownbeforethedepartingaircrafthaslefttherunway.

arrivals).TheCivilAviationDepartment(CAD)hasgraduallyincreasedthedeclaredrunwaycapacityfrom40in1999to61in2011.ThelengthoftimetakenistoallowsufficienttimeforCADtofamiliariseitsairtrafficcontrollerswithdualrunwayoperationsandgraduallybuildupitsairtrafficcontrolcapacity.

InordertoestablishthepracticalmaximumcapacityofHKIA’stwo-runwaysystem,NationalAirTrafficServices(NATS),aleadingproviderofairtrafficmanagementservicesbasedintheUnitedKingdom,wascommissionedtostudyandidentifymeasuresrequiredtofurtherraiseHKIA’srunwaycapacityagainstdifferentpossiblemodesofoperationincluding–

• Segregatedoperation–onerunwayexclusivelyfordeparturesandtheotherrunwayexclusivelyforarrivals;

8 Therecanbe3,600sec(seconds)÷167sec=21.56≈22cycles(i.e.22pairsoflandingandtake-off)perhour,thus44movementsperhour.

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wasbasedonthehistoricalflightmovementpatternofatypicalbusydayandhavingtakenintoaccount–

(a)Alternateclosureofthetworunwayseachnightforabout8hoursforroutinemaintenance;

(b)ThematchingofslotavailabilityatHKIAandthedestinationairports;

(c)Typicalhourlyfluctuationsofabusyday;and

(d)Provisionforrecoveryperiodstocaterforoperationaldelays.

Thepracticalmaximumdailymovementsof1,200canbetranslatedintothepracticalmaximumannualmovementsof420,000,takingintoaccountthehistoricalseasonaladjustmentofflightmovementsbyairlinesasreflectedintheirflightschedulepublishedtwiceayearforthesummerandwinterseasonsrespectively.Thepracticalmaximumannualmovementcapacityis

expectedtobereachedsometimebetween2019and2022asindicatedinFigure4.2.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTSTosupportHKIA’scontinuedgrowth,wehavecommittedHK$9.3billiontothefirstphaseoftheMidfieldDevelopmentwhichwillenableHKIAtooptimallyaccommodate,intermsofbothitsterminalandapronfacilities,approximately60millionpassengersand5milliontonnesofcargoperyear.Thisismainlytomeettheadditionalpassengerandfreighteraircraftstandsdemandintheinterim,whilemaintainingHKIA’shighservicestandards.Theprojectinvolves–

(a)Theconstructionof20aircraftparkingstandsincluding11airbridge-servedstands,aswellasan“I-shaped”passengerconcourseattheMidfield;

• Mixedoperation–botharrivalsanddeparturesareallowedoneachrunway.

NATSconcludedthatgivenHKIA’sspecialcircumstances(forexample,terrainconstraintsurroundingHKIAincludingtheLantauPeak,LoFuTauandSunsetPeakonLantauIslandaswellasTaiMoShanandCastlePeak,congestedandcomplicatedairspacemanagement,theaircraftmixatHKIA,etc.)andtoremainfullyincompliancewithICAO’ssafetyandminimumseparationrequirements,thepracticalmaximumrunwaycapacityofHKIAcanonlybeincreasedfrom61to68ATMsperhourby2015regardlessofthemodeofoperation.ThishasbeenverifiedandacceptedbyCAD.

Onthebasisof68ATMsperhour,NATSassessedthatthepracticalmaximumdailymovementsisabout1,200perday.Thisassessment

Forecast Air Traffic Movements to Reach the Two-Runway Capacity Between 2019 and 2022Figure

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700,000ATMs/Year

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Capacity of Two Runways

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Practical MaxiMuM caPacity of HKia’s two-runway systeM�

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(b)Anextensionoftheexistingautomatedpeoplemover(APM)systemfromTerminal1tothepassengerconcourseattheMidfield;

(c)Minorenhancementworksonthebaggagehandlingsystem;and

(d)Thebuildingofanewcross-fieldtaxiway.

Withtheseenhancements,HKIAwillbeabletomeettheunconstraineddemandforecastofabout60millionpassengersand5milliontonnesofcargoperyearby2015.Beyondthat,wemustexploreotherdevelopmentoptions.TheMasterPlan2030hasevaluateddifferentoptionstocaterforthe“capacitycrunch”beyond2015.Theseareanalysedinthefollowingchapters.

Planned Midfield Development by 2015Figure

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Anartist’simpressionofthePhase1ofMidfieldDevelopment.

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