Hong Kong Outlook

HK Hopes Launched With Opening of Airport

By VIVIAN CHIU

In one day, two national leaders made history in Hong Kong. On July 2, Chinese President Jiang Zemin opened the state-of-the-art international Chek Lap Kok Airport by taking its first flight, which departed the new airport to Beijing. Later in the evening, United States President Bill Clinton, on Air Force One, was the first visitor to land at Chek Lap Kok.

The airport was constructed amid much political controversy. Beijing authorities were concerned Britain would spend unnecessary billions, emptying Hong Kong's coffers in an effort to benefit British construction companies before the changeover. The two countries finally agreed in 1991 that expansion of the old Kai Tak Airport was not feasible and, therefore, that a new airport for Hong Kong was essential. Construction began Jan. 28, 1991.

The airport was designed to make Hong Kong a regional business and trade hub and to help it profit from the prosperous Asian economy. But who expected that the whole region would be in an economic mess? In Hong Kong, unemployment has now soared to a 15-year high of 4.5 percent. Hong Kong hopes that the airport will boost tourism and help revive the local economy.

The new airport is located on the artificial isle of Chek Lap Kok, off outlying Lantau Island. Part of the 1,234-hectare (12.34 square kilometer isle was dredged from the ocean floor. Equipped with a 3,800-meter runway and 38 boarding gates, and later a second runway and passenger terminal, the airport will be able to handle up to 87 million passengers and 9 million tons of cargo per year in 24-hour operations.

The airport and related infrastructure projects cost US$20 billion (¥2.8 trillion) to build. There are a 34-kilometer high-speed railway; three new highways; a two-kilometer harbor tunnel; and the Tsing Ma bridge, the world's longest road-and-railway suspension bridge, which links the airport with Kowloon.

The airport has the world's largest passenger terminal, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. The 1.3-kilometer-long, Y-shaped terminal with eight floors was inspired by the body and wings of an aircraft.

The airport will house a 30,000-square-meter "Sky Mall" with more than 100 shops and dozens of restaurants. And it features a spectacular VIP lounge, including the US$8.4 million (¥1.2 billion) Bauhinia Suite, which is decorated with antique pottery, dating back to 4000 B.C., found in excavation sites around Hong Kong.

Emotions were running high throughout July 5, as hundreds of people wandered through Kai Tak's passenger terminal for one last time. The unexpectedly fine weather drew huge crowds to the rooftops in Kowloon City.

In the early hours of July 6, the lights were turned out at Kai Tak Airport, marking the end of the airport's 73-year history. Dragonair's KA841 from Chongqing was the last plane to make the breathtaking 47-degree turn over Kowloon City to land on Kai Tak's Runway 13 at 11:38 p.m., July 5. That aircraft and 30 others were then flown to Chek Lap Kok, which opened at 6:30 a.m., July 6. Thousands of people worked through the night in a hectic 13-hour military-style operation to move the last pieces of equipment by truck and barge to the new airport.

An American traveler, who arrived at Chek Lap Kok on an early flight from Manila said that the descent had been easy, but there had been none of the anticipation and element of danger of the Kai Tak approach.

She found Chek Lap Kok bland in its modernity: "Maybe it is just all too fresh and new. It will take on a bit of character as it gets older."

Like the new Kuala Lumpur airport, which opened a week earlier, Chek Lap Kok was plagued with problems in its first weeks — flight information boards were blank, planes were delayed, baggage was lost, escalators broke down, public telephones were not connected, the toilets were dirty and, at different times, there was no water or electricity.

A British passenger described the situation as "absolute chaos."

"You would have thought that they would have sorted everything out before they opened," she said. "Nobody seems to have a clue what they are doing."

Chek Lap Kok will face tough times ahead, with competition from Kuala Lumpur's new airport, Singapore's expanding Changi Airport and five major new airports across the mainland border.

Changi Airport, consistently picked as one of the world's best airports by the travel press, may not boast the architectural impact of its new rivals, but it operates smoothly and the new airports must work hard to reach its standards.

As for Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong people believe it will surpass other airports in the region once it gets over its teething problems. They are confident it will be the airport of the 21st century.

Hong Kong does not feel threatened by other airports; it believes that "the pie is big enough" for all in the region.

Shukan ST: Aug. 7, 1998

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