The Pearl River Delta Air Traffic Management Planning & Implementation Working Group, formed by the civil aviation authorities of Hong Kong, the Mainland and Macau, has formulated an integrated plan to resolve long-term regional airspace congestion.

Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng told lawmakers today the plan is based on the principles of joint airspace planning, use of common standards and harmonised flight procedures.

It encompasses measures to rationalise airspace design, enhance flight level distribution, standardise interface and protocols of air traffic control systems, and establish extra civil aviation air routes for flights to and from the northern and the eastern parts of the Mainland.

The three sides will progressively improve air-traffic operations in the short term, and rationalise airspace management, air-traffic control and flight procedures over the Pearl River Delta region in the medium to long-term.

"The tripartite working group is discussing measures to implement the plan, including the establishment of additional peripheral air routes to the east and west of the PRD, and a study on the feasibility of integrating departure release for airports in the region and setting up a common platform for the exchange of air traffic control information. Upon full implementation of the plan projected future air traffic growth in the region will be met by enhanced PRD airspace capacity," Ms Cheng said.

The Civil Aviation Department is increasing runway capacity at Hong Kong International Airport, to achieve 68 aircraft movements per hour by 2015.

The Airport Authority will conduct a mid-field expansion project to provide extra aircraft stands and apron facilities, and a new passenger concourse, increasing the airport's handling capacity to 70 million passengers and 6 million tonnes of cargo per annum, to cope with air traffic demand up to 2020.