The completion of Hong Kong's state-of-the-art airport on time and within budget signifies to the international community that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has the confidence and determination to sustain the territory's economic growth into the next century, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of the SAR Government, Mr Donald Tong, said today ( May 19).

Speaking to members of the Hong Kong Merchants Association of Vancouver at a dinner, Mr Tong said the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok -- the centrepiece of the C$29 billion Airport Core Projects Programme -- is the largest single construction project ever undertaken in Hong Kong.

Its opening on July 6, 1998, one year after the return of Hong Kong to China, will mark the beginning of an exciting new era in civil aviation.

He said one of the major reasons why the programme has been able to be completed on time without any costly delays is due to the dedication of the government and co-operation of the major players -- a consortium of local and international engineers, contractors and workers.

"We get the best and the best value for money through our level playing field approach," he said, adding that this principle has been practised by the government in the assessing and awarding of all major contracts.

"Seventy-seven per cent by value of the C$17 billion contracts for the airport projects themselves were awarded to overseas firms. We do not show favouritism towards Hong Kong or China nor will we discriminate against any particular economy. We will continue with this approach when we award contracts.

Mr Tong, who gave the audience a "guided tour" of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok with the aid of transparencies, said the brand new facility -- in area four times larger than Kai Tak airport -- will underpin the HK SAR's position as a vital hub in domestic, regional and international aviation.

He pointed out that Chek Lap Kok is an ideal site because it offers clear take offs and landings for 24 hour aircraft operations and yet is just a short journey time from the heart of Hong Kong.

To create the airport platform, the 302-hectare Chek Lap Kok island and its smaller neighbour, Lam Chau, were levelled and, in one of the world's largest reclamation operations, the surrounding seas were filled in to form a new man-made island, nearly 6 kilometres long and 3.5 kilometres wide at its broadest point.

Site preparation began in late 1992 with an international consortium carrying out one of the largest earth moving operations ever undertaken. This involved up to 2,500 workers from 13 countries moving about 347 million cubic metres of material: that is 280 cubic metres of rock, soil, mud and marine sand every minute or 10 tonnes a second for 31 months.

"Within budget and well on time, the platform was completed in June 1995 and upon this the new airport is now complete.

"In the initial phase of operations, with the first of the two 3,800-metre runways in use, the new airport will handle 38 aircraft movements per hour, or a capacity of 35 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo a year.

"The second runway will be completed by the end of 1998, and with two runways in use, the airport can be further developed according to air traffic demands.

"The terminal has a distinctive wing-like modular roof line, inspired by the concept of flight. Skylights allow full use of natural lighting, and the terminal also incorporates international standards for facilities for disabled people.

"There are three main levels, one each for departure and arrivals, with service facilities such as an automatic train and the baggage handling system at the basement level," he added.

Other outstanding features of the new airport include:

38 bridge-served gates for wide-bodied aircraft and 27 remote stands

a 1.2 kilometre-long passenger terminal covering an area of more than 500,000 square metres, with 2.5 kilometres for moving walkways

288 check-in counters

a baggage handling system capable of handling 19,200 items of luggage an hour

30,000 square metres of terminal space for shops, food and beverage outlets, banks, money changers and other retailers

a six-hectare site for warehouses, loading platforms, truck parking bays and offices

the Airport Express rail to downtown Hong Kong in 23 minutes

parking facilities for over 3,000 vehicles