AsBAA in action-April newsletter_April | Page 11

Greater China - Hong Kong Hong Kong Business Aviation Growth - Challenge vs. Opportunity Battles On The Hong Kong Chapter continues to lobby for improvements to the Business Aviation landscape in Hong Kong, as follows: Hong Kong Chapter Efforts: The improvements extend to the noise profiling of business jets, night slots, compact parking models at capacity restricted airports and shorter permit lead times. HKIA Slots: Implementing a ring fence around slots for Business Aviation At Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the slot issue has been improved from previous near-critical conditions. There is now an increase of the availability of night slots, firstly from 5 to 7, and then from 7 to 9 slots. Phil Balmer, Vice Chairman and Head of the Hong Kong Chapter, AsBAA We strongly believe that Business Aviation should have a set percentage of the available slots at Hong Kong airport. Currently, Business Aviation slots are largely taken from the “leftovers” of the airlines and freight. It is a major priority for the AsBAA Hong Kong Chapter to rectify this situation with positive lobbying and education. We can only achieve this with the support of the industry, therefore we encourage all stakeholders to join AsBAA and help drive essential change. AsBAA lobbying led to the OCS penalty system change from operator to tail specific. Noise Profiling: AsBAA is working towards ensuring that a proportion of HKIA’ s noise quota is allocated for Business Aviation. At present, there is no such allowance, meaning that only business aircraft with a take-off noise figure of below 84.0 dB (according to the FAA AEDT tool) are permitted to operate during the designated night period at Hong Kong International Airport. Airlines and Business Jets – Fair Application of Noise Quota: By contrast, the airlines and freight have a noise quota allocation, making it possible to operate aircraft that generate more noise than business aviation aircraft during the night period. Special Exceptions now in place: Research and noise data has been presented by AsBAA to the authorities which has led to special exceptions being introduced for certain business jet models to fly at night. These include the Gulfstream 650, Bombardier global (BD700) and Gulfstream 550. Longer Term Solutions: While short-term fixes are vital to the health of the industry, longer-term solutions to relieve congestion in the Greater Bay Area of China remain a key priority. AsBAA has been working for several years to support local and national authorities to find solutions to the capacity issues faced at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). This has included an AsBAA led campaign to support Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau Airports. The campaign incorporated nine cities, serving a population of 50 million and supported the development of GBA heliport links to relieve some of the capacity pressures at HKIA. AsBAA Community Comes Together for Hong Kong Sevens April in Hong Kong is Rugby Sevens season! AsBAA valued the opportunity for an #AsBAACommunity get together with member, Equiom.