Airport Authority Welcomes Advisory Council on the Environment's Recommendation to Endorse the EIA Report for Expanding HKIA into a Three-runway System with Conditions

(HONG KONG, 15 September 2014)  –  Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) welcomes the recommendation made in today’s meeting of the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE) to endorse the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for expanding Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) into a three-runway system (3RS) with conditions.

C K Ng, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the AA, said, “This is a key milestone in the development of the 3RS project. It’s also an important step for maintaining Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness, by allowing our airport to meet its long-term aviation demand while generating local employment. While pursuing economic development, we will do everything we can to mitigate its impact on the environment through the measures stipulated in the EIA report, aiming to achieve a balance between economic development and conservation.”

AA appreciates the valuable comments about the EIA report that were made by the ACE over numerous meetings held since August. During this period, AA and its team of professional consultants held in-depth discussions with ACE members to answer their questions and take their comments under serious consideration.

Mr Ng said AA will carefully study the conditions and recommendations made by the ACE in its endorsement of the EIA report. Meanwhile, AA will also strive to complete the other planning works related to the 3RS. If everything goes well, AA is targeted to obtain the support and approval from the Government to begin construction as soon as possible, with an aim for the 3RS to be fully operational by 2023.