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The Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region Air Traffic Management Planning and Implementation Supervisory Group, which was jointly established by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Civil Aviation Department Hong Kong, and Civil Aviation Authority of Macao, held its latest meeting in Zhuhai on August 31, to further discuss enhancement measures regarding the PRD's air traffic control procedures and airspace structure.
At the meeting, the fruitful outcomes of collaborative efforts made by the tripartite meeting in recent years were summarised. A number of airspace enhancement measures have been implemented, including the establishment of peripheral flight routes in the PRD region and the adjustment of the Zhuhai Terminal Area boundary. An additional handover point (with associated flight routes) will also be established between the Hong Kong and Guangzhou Flight Information Regions with effect from September 22 to further enhance air traffic management in the PRD region.
The meeting also formulated a work plan for the next stage of work in accordance with the principles of joint airspace planning, use of common standards and harmonised flight procedure design to enhance airspace planning and air traffic management in the region. Taking the actual operational needs into full consideration, the three sides agreed to further study the enhancements to the planning proposals of the Guangzhou and Southern PRD Terminal Areas. The three sides also agreed to expedite the development of the related ancillary systems and to strengthen co-ordination at the operational level for the implementation of continued enhancement measures to address operational needs. A feasibility study will also be conducted on the use of common standards in the operational environment in the Southern PRD Terminal Area and the implementation arrangements. These measures will further enhance the efficiency in the use of the PRD's airspace to cater for the continued growth in the air traffic volume of the region in the future.
The civil aviation authorities of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao will continue to study and implement other enhancement measures to further rationalise the airspace design and management of the PRD region. These relevant enhancement measures would adequately cater for the future development of the airports in the region, including the operating mode at the Hong Kong International Airport if a third runway is built, i.e. 102 movements per hour and an estimated 620,000 landing and take-offs per year.
Ends/Thursday, September 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:17
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