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The Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB) of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Civil Aviation Department and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Macau Special Administrative Region (AACM) signed an agreement in Hong Kong today (May 9) on establishing a strengthened liaison mechanism to enhance co-operation and exchange among the civil aviation authorities in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau on air traffic management planning and implementation in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region.
Witnessed by the Deputy Administrator of the CAAC, Mr Wang Zhiqing, and the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, the agreement was signed by the Director General of the ATMB of the CAAC, Mr Che Jinjun; the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo and the President of the AACM, Mr Chan Weng-hong.
Specific contents of the agreement on the strengthened liaison mechanism to enhance tripartite co-operation and exchange include:
(1) The top management of the three civil aviation authorities will host high-level meetings in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau on a rotational basis and/or tele-conferencing twice a year to proactively strengthen the close co-operation among the three sides on the planning and implementation of air traffic management in the PRD region, enhance communication at the top management level, and synergy in overall planning, and foster co-operation in the PRD region; and
(2) Air traffic control technical personnel of the three sides will have more interaction and communications where necessary, share experience with each other, and conduct more meetings and exchanges at the technical level, with no limitation on the scale and number of meetings to be held.
Professor Cheung said at the signing ceremony that the agreement on the strengthened liaison mechanism to enhance co-operation and exchange helped to take forward the PRD Region Air Traffic Management Planning and Implementation Plan progressively and was also one of the means to implement the Guiding Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Cooperation within the Pan-PRD Region. The signing of the agreement marked an enhanced partnership among the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau in the planning of airspace resources in the PRD region which helped strengthen synergies, ensure efficient use of the airspace, and bring mutual benefits, thus achieving a win-win situation. Together, a world-class airport cluster in the PRD region would be built and the unique strengths of the region would be given full play.
Mr Wang noted that over the years, the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau have all along been maintaining close working relationships and have established a good rapport in the field of civil aviation. The signing of the agreement on the strengthened liaison mechanism to enhance co-operation and exchange among the civil aviation authorities in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau on air traffic management is a good example. In line with the concept of "Innovation, Co-ordination, Integration and Mutual Benefits", the CAAC will work with the civil aviation authorities in Hong Kong and Macau to create a safer, smoother and healthier environment for sustainable development of the civil aviation industry in the PRD region through the approach of collaborative decision making, coordinated operations and development.
Professor Cheung also held a meeting today with Mr Wang to exchange views on various issues, including enhancement of flight procedures and airspace structure of the PRD region, optimising the airspace utilisation in the region, and the three-runway system (3RS) project at the Hong Kong International Airport. Mr Wang said that, under the national directive of supporting the development of the 3RS project, the CAAC will provide full support with the aim of enabling the 3RS to maximise its potential and achieve the target runway capacity of 102 air traffic movements per hour in the long run.
Ends/Monday, May 9, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:43
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