Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 CIVIL AVIATION IN HONG KONG BACKGROUND Civil Aviation in Hong Kong should not be confused with introduction to Civil Aviation Department, this topic is merely introducing civilian aspect of aviation operations available in Hong Kong. So putting aside all the military aviation, which is all under People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison (中國人民解放軍駐香港部隊), there are commercial and private flying. Apart from the obvious air transport operations out of Hong Kong International Airport, helicopter operations, recreational aviation for public and the regulatory authorities will be included. AIR TRANSPORT OPERATIONS 2. Air Transport Operations are the main source of access for civilians to gain access to, they either travel as passenger from one place to the other, or send and receive mails and parcels from overseas. These operations could be further classified as scheduled flights, charter flights and private flights. Scheduled Flights 3. Through the years, there are multiple aircraft operators based in Hong Kong, fixed‐wing and rotary‐wing. Here is a list of companies that have been granted the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in Hong Kong operating fixed‐wing aircrafts. Details can be found in Aircraft Recognition, an individual subject under Leading Class Cadet Training. 4. Air Hong Kong (香港華民航空) was founded in 1986, is currently the only all‐cargo airline operating out of Hong Kong. Currently it is a joint venture operation between DHL Worldwide Express and Cathay Pacific Airways. 5. Cathay Dragon (國泰港龍航空) is the brand operated by Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited. It was founded in 1985 as Dragonair, and in 2006 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific after years of competing with one another. 6. Cathay Pacific (國泰航空) was first established back in 1946. It is currently the biggest airline based in Hong Kong, owning over 100 aircrafts operating to over 150 destination in the world. 7. Hong Kong Airlines (香港航空) was first founded as CR Airways (中富航空) owned by China Rich Holdings back in 2001 operating helicopter service. In 2006, Hainan Airlines purchased enough shares to control the airline and changed its name to Hong Kong Airlines. 4 June 2017 Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 8. Hong Kong Air Cargo (香港貨運航空) was under the name of Hong Kong Airlines Cargo Company Limited in 2007, it is a wholly‐owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Airlines. It obtains its AOC in April 2017. 9. Hong Kong Express (香港快運航空) was founded in 2005, later acquired by HNA Group, parent company of Hainan Airlines in 2006. The airline transformed into a Low Cost Carrier in 2013 and renamed to HK Express. Non‐scheduled Flights 10. Apart from scheduled flights that we can book via travel agent or even online by ourselves, there are charter flights that offer a highly customized flight experience, either for business or leisure travel. 11. The business aviation aspect saw exponential growth in the last few years, multiple operators based in Hong Kong, unlike typical airlines that only provide flight services, they also provide maintenance services and even managed aircrafts on behalf of the private owner. Metrojet, TAG Aviation, Jet Aviation and Hongkong Jet managed over 80% of the fleet in Hong Kong, other operators include Sino Jet, Lilyjet and Gama Aviation. Government Flights 12. Government Flying Service (政府飛行服務隊) is a department of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, it was formed in 1993 after the disbandment of its predecessor, the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. It is the only department of the government that have the aerial capability thus offer a range of services from aerial survey, VIP transportation, aerial support for law enforcement units to most importantly Search and Rescue. Details can be found in Government Flying Service, an individual subject under Leading Class Cadet Training. Base of Operation 13. All the above airlines operated in Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), it is also referred to Chek Lap Kok Airport due to its location situated on a reclaimed land north of Lantau Island. Due to the amount of scheduled flights, general aviation is not normally permitted in HKIA. 14. As of 2017, there are 2 runways available for 4 directions takeoff and landing, north runway and south runway. Here are some of the prominent features: (i) North Runway, 07L / 25R primarily for landing, it is 3800m long at a standard 60m in width. It is equipped with Category IIIA Precision Approach. 4 June 2017 Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 (ii) South Runway, 07R / 25L primarily for takeoff, it is also 3800m long by 60m wide. It is equipped with Category II Precision Approach. Passenger Handling Facility (iii) Passenger Terminal Building, also being referred as Terminal 1 from passenger perspective. Featuring 49 frontal gates, from E1 to W71, it also supports 27 remote stands. (iv) North Satellite Concourse, was built in 2012 to catered for medium size aircraft (e.g. A320 / B737), it features 10 frontal gates, from N501 to N510. (v) Midfield Concourse, opened in December 2015, connecting passenger by automated people mover, holds 20 parking bays, D201‐D219,D300. (vi) Sky Pier, a pier to provide inter‐modal transfer service to Pearl River Delta area and Macau by ferry, it has the capacity to handle 8 million passenger a year. Maintenance Area (vii) CASL Hangar, China Aircraft Services Limited also provides both line and base maintenance service. (viii) HAECO Hangars, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company provides both line and base maintenance service. Cargo Area (ix) SuperTerminal 1, operated by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) is the single largest multi‐level air cargo terminal in the world, capable of handling up to 3.5 million tonnes of air cargo every year. (x) Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, commenced operations in early 2013, mainly catered for Cathay related operations, which is about 2.6 million tonnes a year. (xi) AAT Cargo Terminal, operated by Asia Airfreight Terminal Company Limited has a combined handling capacity of about 1.5 million tonnes a year. (xii) Express Cargo Terminal, DHL Worldwide Express handles more than 35,000 parcels and 40,000 documents per hour. (xiii) Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre is the aviation support facility for business aircraft. 4 June 2017 Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 4 June 2017 Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 Future Development of HKIA 15. West Apron Expansion was completed in 2015, it has provided 28 additional parking bays for both passenger and freighter aircrafts. It is expected to be further developed into par of Midfield Freighter Apron together with the Three‐Runway System. 16. SKYCITY will be redeveloped from the existing Terminal 2 and the land adjacent to it, it will become a shopping mall incorporating with other tourist attractions, expecting phase 1 to be completed around 2022 to cater for the increase number of visitors from the completion of Hong Kong Border Crossing Facilities. 17. The Third Runway is under development. The current two‐runway system can only handle 420,000 movements per annum (roughly maximum of 68 movements per hour), and IATA consulting estimated by 2030, HKIA will be handling 607,000 annual movements. The proposed Three‐runway system will involve 650 hectares land formation and expected to have the capacity of 102 movements per hour or 620,000 movements annually. Further details will be included in the future notes. Airport Authority Hong Kong 18. The Provisional Airport Authority was established in 1990, under the Airport Authority Ordinance (Cap. 483) it became the statutory body as Airport Authority Hong Kong in 1995. It is wholly owned by the HKSAR Government and is responsible for the operation and development of HKIA. 19. AAHK is the holder of the first Aerodrome License in HKIA, who is constantly assessed by Airport Standard Division of CAD for its performance. In order to satisfy part of the requirements, in 1997, AAHK established its subsidiary company, the Aviation Security Company Limited (AVSECO), to provide aviation security services. 20. AAHK’s role is almost like a landlord of the airport island, it is also responsible for airfield management, airport operations and planning and infrastructure and development. On the other hand, Government responsible for Air Traffic Control Service, Police, CIQ and Fire Services. 21. Heliservices (直升機服務公司) established in 1978, offered helicopter charter services in Hong Kong, from sightseeing tours to lifting works. 22. Sky Shuttle Helicopters (空中快線直升機公司) was founded in 1988 as East Asia Airlines operating between Hong Kong and Macau. Now it has grown into a commercial helicopter operator in the Pearl River Delta 4 June 2017 Training Manual – Civil Aviation in Hong Kong v2.0 Helicopter Landing Sites 23. There are over 170 available helicopter landing sites, comprise of Sheung Wan / Sky Shuttle Heliport and Wanchai Heliport, certain landing sites authorized for use by the Government Flying Service (GFS) and the rest are corporately or privately owned. 24. HKIA has two locations designated as landing / lift off locations for helicopters, apart from casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) or emergency flights, prior permission from CAD and AAHK is required. There are also two helipads within GFS apron which are not available for use by other operators. The two designated locations are: Junction of Twy H and Twy G1 Junction of Twy K and Twy Z3 25. Sheung Wan / Sky Shuttle Heliport as the name suggested, is located at Sheung Wan on top of the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, primarily for Sky Shuttle operations. Wanchai Heliport located adjacent to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre started its operations in 2012, it was evolved from the former Central Helipad and the temporary Wanchai Helipad.