Transport chief looks to minimise bumps in air travel

Hong Kong will do its best to ensure stability in the air-travel sector and leverage opportunities amid no signs of an end to hostilities in the Middle East, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Saturday. Speaking on a radio programme, she said the SAR had been affected by the outbreak of hostilities due to it being an open economy and having a global aviation network, but insisted the city would be able to find its way out by increasing its services to other markets. "For Hong Kong, we can increase our capacity by adding direct flights to Europe and the United States or by expanding our scope for transit services," Chan said. "Moreover, Terminal 2 at our airport will be in operation from May 27, so we hope that will help alleviate congestion and increase our capacity, as well as provide more facilities for departing passengers." Chan said authorities were closely monitoring changes in the situation brought on by the ongoing hostilities and responding accordingly. Her bureau, she said, has demanded that airlines be transparent when it comes to changes in their fuel surcharges in the wake of increases by all local airlines following a spike in oil prices. As for the impact of higher fuel prices on the land-transport sector, Chan said communications had been exchanged with bus, minibus and taxi operators. Her bureau, she noted, has an established mechanism to deal with potential fee adjustment proposals from individual operators that takes into account overall operating costs and projected passenger growth while ensuring fares remain affordable. Edited by Robert Kemp