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Friday, Jul. 17, 1998
Airport woes threaten Hong Kong trade
Cargo backlog at hastily opened facility might redirect commerce, officials say
Associated Press
HONG KONG - Cargo delays at Hong Kong's new airport could cost the territory's economy $590 million this year and considerably disrupt external trade, the government said Thursday.
The Chek Lap Kok airport has been plagued by a string of problems since the $20 billion facility opened July 6, replacing Hong Kong's venerable downtown Kai Tak airport.
Hong Kong's main air cargo handler, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals, said Wednesday it would be another month before its operations at the problem-plagued new airport were up to full capacity.
Officials said the new airport handled 2,437 tons of cargo Wednesday, about half of normal.
The neighboring Chinese city of Shenzhen has agreed to help ease the backlog by opening its Huangtian airport to Hong Kong cargo flights. Some airlines also have been using the airport in the nearby Portuguese enclave of Macau.
In its first statement on the airport's problems, the government said Thursday that the protracted cargo delays were likely to result in the loss of about 0.35 percent of Hong Kong's gross domestic product this year, or $590 million. The new estimate was higher than the 0.1 percent figure given last week by Financial Secretary Donald Tsang.
``The longer the disruption, the greater will be the likelihood of trade being diverted elsewhere,'' the government said.
The government has been accused of pushing the airport to open too soon, to coincide with the first anniversary of the return to Chinese rule. Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited on the anniversary and dedicated the airport.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web