Airport Safety
Aerodrome Licensing
The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) is granted an aerodrome licence by CAD to operate HKIA. APSD continued to exercise safety oversight on the performance of AA to ensure its compliance with the aerodrome licensing requirements.
To ensure HKIA's continued compliance with the aerodrome licensing requirements, the division carried out 14 audits and 130 inspections during the year covering both ad-hoc and scheduled airside maintenance works, conditions of airfield pavements, visual aids, other facilities required for aircraft operations, implementation of the Safety Management System, emergency planning, airport rescue and fire fighting services, aircraft ground operations provided by AA and its ground handling agents as well as airfield expansion projects. The division also participated in the franchisee audits carried out by AA and monitored investigation of aircraft ground incidents to ensure that effective oversight was duly exercised by AA on franchisees' safety performance and appropriate corrective measures had been taken by responsible parties to prevent recurrence.
APSD officers conduct inspection to ensure that new facilities fully complied with the aerodrome licensing requirements prior to commissioning.
APSD officers carry out site inspection at the North Runway to examine the quality of the runway resurfacing works.Besides, the division also closely monitored large-scale maintenance and enhancement projects undertaken by AA. During the year, major projects completed included (i) the replacement of the block pavement with concrete and asphalt at the parking stands in the North and Northwest Concourse; (ii) the resurfacing of the North Runway; (iii) the south extension of Taxiway N to connect to Taxiway J; and (iv) the modification works of six parking stands at Cargo Apron to accommodate Boeing B747-8F freighters. To ensure airport safety with minimal impact to existing airport operations while these works were ongoing, the division liaised closely with AA to keep track of the progress and conducted inspections from time to time.
The replacement project of fluorescent lighting boxes of the Movement Area Guidance Signs was scheduled for completion by 2021. More trials and market surveys have been conducted to identify the most suitable substitute LED lighting boxes for use along runways.
To cater for the continuous traffic growth, AA continued to ensure that the development of the Midfield Area of HKIA proceeded as scheduled. Launched in 2016, Midfield Development Phase Two will provide a new taxiway and 10 additional remote parking stands, including three being capable of accommodating Code F aircraft. The Phase Two project was scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2018. In addition, AA commenced the Midfield Remaining Area development works in 2017. The project will provide two taxilanes and 24 additional remote parking stands in phases and its first phase, scheduled for completion by end 2018, will provide one taxilane and 11 parking stands.
Moreover, several enhancement projects were commenced during the year. For example, resurfacing of the South Runway to rehabilitate and strengthen the runway pavement; and building an elevated passenger corridor to connect Terminal One and the North Satellite Concourse to improve passengers' experience when travelling between the two buildings. The division will closely monitor the projects to ensure that the safety of airfield operations would not be compromised.
An Automated Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection System, after commencing trial in August 2017, was commissioned in April 2018 to enhance runway safety at HKIA. The system can automatically detect FOD on the two runways in a real-time, round-the-clock manner. The FOD alerts generated by the system would serve as a complement to the existing runway inspection regime for safeguarding aircraft during take-off and landing. This division will continue to provide regulatory advice on new equipment/facilities and new operating procedures introduced by AA in order to enhance airport safety and operations efficiency.
Airbus A350-1000 made its maiden visit to HKIA in January 2018 during its demonstration tour. APSD conducted an inspection on the operational trial, which involved compatibility of airbridges and various ground handling vehicles and equipment with this new aircraft type, to ensure safe provision of ground handling services by HKIA and its franchisees.
For the purpose of testing the emergency response procedures and enhancing the coordination between the aerodrome operator and relevant responding parties in dealing with aircraft accidents, AA conducted a number of drills and exercises throughout the year. APSD actively participated in the planning meetings and conducted regular inspections on these drills and exercises. One of them was the annual full-scale aircraft crash exercise conducted on 8 November 2017. The exercise simulated a rescue operation for an arrival Airbus A350 aircraft which mistakenly entered a taxiway not assigned for its use after landing with its starboard engine crashed into the construction site hoarding and a diesel generator nearby, and caught fire. Different responding parties, including AA, relevant government departments and the participating airline, took part in the exercise to test the emergency procedures and responses in dealing with an aircraft accident. The division oversaw the preparation and operation of the exercise from planning until completion and provided regulatory advice and recommendations for AA and relevant responding parties to further enhance their emergency procedures and responses.
Simulation of the rescue of a seriously injured passenger during the 2017 Full-Scale Annual Aircraft Crash Exercise.
Tackling a simulated aircraft fire during the 2017 Full-Scale Annual Aircraft Crash Exercise. APSD continued to monitor AA's aerodrome safety management activities to ensure compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). During the year, AA updated their risk assessment register for the new airfield procedures and development projects to record those risks arising from changes to existing operational environment. The division provided feedback on the maintenance of the register for follow up actions by AA.
