Chief Secretary Henry Tang and Director-General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo today unveiled the foundation stone for the new Civil Aviation Department headquarters.

The Government has committed $1.997 billion to construct the headquarters, which will be completed by the end of 2012. It will house all functional divisions of the department, providing quality services for the industry and the public at one location.

Its design will incorporate sustainable, environmentally friendly and educational themes.

"The Government's $2 billion investment in this new headquarters project is both timely and significant for the development of aviation in Hong Kong," Mr Tang said at the ceremony.

"It will enable us to maintain our role as the premier aviation hub in the region and the world. The new headquarters will provide the space needed for the replacement of the existing air traffic control system, which allows us to meet our pledge of increasing the runway capacity gradually to 68 movements per hour by 2015."

Also present at the ceremony were Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng, Under Secretary for Transport & Housing Yau Shing-mu, and Director of Architectural Services Marigold Lau.