Hong Kong airport project presses ahead despite downturn

Hong Kong's government is pressing ahead with a planned expansion of Hong Kong International Airport's passenger and cargo facilities despite the downturn in air traffic this year, the South China Morning Post and CargonewsAsia reported Monday.

A third runway and third passenger terminal appears in the cards, with expansion in cargo handling capacity also a possibility. The third runway is considered especially important to unlock planned growth at the airport, Asia's biggest air cargo gateway. The expansion, of course, comes at a time when demand for air cargo has been shrinking -- volume at the airport shrank almost 10 percent in October compared to the same month in 2007.

But Hong Kong's airport authority said the downturn is a temporary one and that the hub should continue to grow for the next decade, necessitating additional runway and terminal capacity. 

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