【明報專訊】THE THREE-RUNWAY SYSTEM of Hong Kong International Airport is officially coming into operation on Thursday (28 November), marking an enhancement in Hong Kong's capacity to handle inbound and outbound flights. It will help strengthen its status as an international aviation hub. However, to fully utilise the three-runway system, it is essential to strengthen cooperation with other airports in the Pearl River Delta and coordinate airspace resources.

The construction of the three-runway system of the airport started in 2016 at a cost of over $140 billion. In November 2022, the newly constructed North Runway came into operation. Yet the original North Runway, which had been re-designated as the Centre Runway, remained closed, meaning that the airport continued to operate with a dual-runway system. The Centre Runway will reopen the day after tomorrow, marking the official transition of Hong Kong International Airport to a three-runway operation.

The current dual-runway system of the airport can handle a maximum of 68 aircraft take-offs and landings per hour, translating into about 420,000 movements annually. With the increased airport capacity following the launch of the third runway, the authorities estimate that the practical maximum capacity will gradually rise to 102 movements per hour to meet Hong Kong's long-term passenger and cargo demands.

Hong Kong's air passenger volume has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, but airport infrastructure needs prior planning. It will be too late to consider infrastructural expansion only when the airport becomes saturated. Of course, in addition to infrastructural expansion, enhancing Hong Kong's air transport capacity also requires other components. With the integration of the Greater Bay Area, optimising airspace use and ensuring smooth and safe air transport will be an issue that must be dealt with.

At present, there are a total of seven airports within an 80-kilometre radius of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Their combined network of air routes covers over 200 cities worldwide, transporting 220 million visitors annually. Its passenger and cargo volumes are ranked first among major bay areas globally. Apart from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are building additional runways to expand airport capacity. According to estimates from the mainland, the passenger throughput of the Greater Bay Area will reach 420 million by 2035.

The airspace of the Pearl River Delta has been described as the most complex airspace in the world. The reason is that it involves three airspace control zones in Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Hong Kong, which are managed by different agencies — the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Factors such as institutional differences pose obstacles to airspace cooperation.

In addition, the airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area is currently developing in a "multi-centre" manner. There is a lot of overlapping in the major airport route networks, which affects the full utilisation of limited airspace resources. On the heels of the three-runway system of Hong Kong Airport, Shenzhen Airport's three-runway system will also be put into use by early 2026 at the earliest. The airspace in the region is likely to become even more congested in the long run, making it necessary to strengthen cooperation as soon as possible.

The Greater Bay Area will usher in a new pattern of coordinated development in civil aviation. Hong Kong should leverage its strengths to play an important role and function in the building of a world-class airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area.

明報社評2024.11.26：大灣區機場群協同發展 香港積極參與突出優勢

香港國際機場三跑道系統本周四正式啟用，標誌本港處理航班升降能力提升，有助強化國際航空樞紐地位，然而若要全面發揮機場三跑的作用，還須跟其他珠三角機場加強合作，互相協調空域資源。

機場三跑系統2016年動工，耗資超過1400億元。前年11月，新建成的北跑道啟用，原來的舊北跑道改編為中跑道後一直關閉，意即機場實際仍維持以雙跑道系統運作，然而後天開始，中跑道將重開，標誌香港國際機場正式改為3條跑道運作。

現時機場雙跑道系統，每小時最高可供68架次飛機升降，即全年約42萬架次。三跑啟用將提升機場容量，當局預計飛機升降量可逐步增至每小時102架次，滿足本港長遠客運及貨運需要。

雖然目前本港航空客運量尚未回覆到疫前水平，但機場基建本來就需要超前部署，等到飽和才謀擴建，已然太遲。當然，提升本港空運承載能力，除了硬件擴容之外，也需要其他方面配合。隨着大灣區融合，優化空域使用、確保航空運輸順暢和安全，將是一個必須處理的課題。

目前粵港澳大灣區80公里半徑範圍內，合計有7個機場，航線網絡遍及全球200多個城市，旅客年吞吐能力達2.2億人次，客貨運量位列全球主要灣區首位。除了香港，深圳和廣州也在增建機場跑道擴容。根據內地方面估算，到了2035年，大灣區旅客吞吐量將達4.2億人次。

珠三角空域本來就被形容為「全球最複雜空域」，涉及廣州、珠海、香港3個空域管制區，分屬香港民航處及國家民航局管理，制度差異等因素，為空域合作帶來不少障礙。

另外，現時大灣區機場群呈「多中心」發展格局，主要機場航線網絡重複建設情况普遍，也造成有限空域資源未能充分利用。繼香港機場三跑之後，深圳機場三跑系統最快2026年初啟用，區內空域長遠料將更為擠擁，需要及早加強協作。

大灣區將迎來民航協同發展新格局，香港應致力突出自身優勢，爭取在大灣區打造世界級機場群過程中，發揮重要角色及作用。

■ Glossary 生字 /

airspace : the part of the sky where planes fly, usually the part above a particular country that is legally controlled by that country

throughput : the amount of work that is done, or the number of people that are dealt with, in a particular period of time

on sb's heels : very close behind sb/sth; very soon after sth