Cargo operations at the Super Terminal at the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok will move a step closer to full recovery by midnight on August 11 (Hong Kong time).

The major operator of air freight at the airport, Hong Kong International Terminals Limited (HACTL), announced that cargo on all Cathay Pacific inbound flights, both passenger and freighter, will be handled at the airport's cargo terminal from next Tuesday.

This is a significant step as all inbound cargo of the airliner will not be moved to the old airport at Kai Tak for processing and then moving the transhipment component back to the new airport.

Mr. Donald Tong, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government in Canada, reiterated that the SAR Government and the Airport Authority will continue to co-operate and provide every assistance to HACTL to enable it to achieve full recovery of air cargo services as soon as possible.

Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong based airliner, is the largest air freight carrier. Last year, it transhipped 83,000 tonnes of cargo, which was more than 80 per cent of Hong Kong's total transhipments. HACTL is also Hong Kong's largest handler of air cargo. Its capacity is 82 per cent of all incoming and outgoing air freight.

As at yesterday, a total of 4,109 tonnes of cargo was handled at the new airport, representing 84 per cent of the daily average volume handled in 1997.

For further information, please contact Chief Information Officer, Frank Chuan at telephone no. (416) 924-5544.