Hong Kong Airport Authority mulls 3rd runway to meet rising needs

A three-month consultation will begin Friday to gauge public views on the two options offered under the authority's Master Plan 2030 for Hong Kong International Airport, which foresees a need for expansion of the 13-year-old airport.

"Air traffic demand has been experiencing strong growth in the past decade," authority chairman Marvin Cheung said. "The current two-runway system is forecast to be saturated by around 2020. This could irrevocably harm Hong Kong's position as a global aviation hub."

The two options up for consultation are enhancing existing facilities at an estimated cost of HK$23.4 billion ($3 billion), or building a third runway, associate terminal and facilities at an estimated cost of HK$86.2 billion.

The upgrading option would boost capacity to 420,000 flights a year. The third runway option, which would entail reclaiming 6.5 square kilometers of land from sea, would raise annual capacity to 620,000 flights.

After seeing a record-breaking year in 2010 with 306,000 flights, the authority forecast growth to 602,000 flights by 2030.