AAPA SAYS HONGKONG NEEDS NEW RUNWAY
Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 20, 2011 Hong Kong Needs a New Runway writes Andrew Herdman, Director General,Association of Asia Pacific Airlines in response to a column, "Runway Inflation in Hong Kong," Business Asia, July 14) that questions the need for Hong Kong to invest in expanding its aviation infrastructure. Perhaps India will soon need a similar reasoning given its fast growing air traffic. "You do not need a crystal ball to believe that demand for air travel over the next 20 years will almost certainly maintain the pattern of several decades of past growth, in line with rising incomes, with global air passenger numbers doubling roughly every 15 years. Aviation is a capital-intensive industry, both in terms of investments in modern jet aircraft as well as the supporting infrastructure including airports and air navigation services. The long lead times involved require proper planning and coordination among the various stakeholders, including gov...