Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines face cuts to flights ahead of much-delayed air traffic control system

Hong Kong airlines are being asked to reduce their flight schedules by 10 per cent in November in an effort help the aviation regulator ease the introduction of a much-delayed air traffic control system, the Sunday Morning Post can reveal.

In a move that appeared to signal a lack of confidence in the new flight radar tracking technology, the Civil Aviation Department and the Airport Authority both insisted that the “reduction of handling capacity does not constitute any confidence issue to the ATC system”.

Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary, Dragonair, which operate a combined total of more than 450 daily flights and form Hong Kong’s biggest airline group, face the largest cut among carriers.

However, Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express, which handle 90 and 45 flights a day, respectively, are also expecting some disruption.

Across all four airlines, aircraft maintenance could be brought forward and regional destinations with multiple daily flights are expected to bear the brunt of the temporary flight cancellations.

The timing, airlines said, was being made during a quieter travel period so disruption to flights would be minimised.

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James Tong, Cathay’s director of corporate affairs, told the Post: “It’s short term ... as a key operator at Hong Kong International Airport, we have to support this kind of reduction for the benefit of the system being implemented successfully.

“Of course, as an airline, we will have to cope with that [reduction], and we are currently exploring how.”

Tong was cautious about not identifying any potential key destinations that would face temporary cuts.

However, flights to major cities in mainland China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea are all likely to be scaled back to ensure that routes to more profitable long-haul destinations are protected.

Tong, when asked whether the request for a reduction in flights signalled a lack of confidence in the system, said: “We don’t read it that way – because it has been tested and they [the CAD] do have a good implementation plan.

“It’s not as if we’ve suddenly been told about [the]10 per cent – it’s half a year before and all of the airlines are informed. It’s a well-planned exercise.”

Andrew Cowen, chief executive of HK Express, said: “We very much support what [CAD director general] Norman Lo and the CAD are trying to do.

“We must have this ATC system. We will play our part in getting it in and we understand why they need to have this reduction. Safety is imperative to everyone.

“The only objection we have is – and we can see why it is necessary – we don’t see why cargo carriers should be excepted from that.”

The regulator said that cargo flights were not being asked to reduce their schedules because

November was the busiest month of the year for operators.

The temporary flight reduction will come into force between

October 30 and November 26, and affect flights to and from Hong Kong and also aircraft flying over the territory’s airspace.

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In a joint statement issued by the Airport Authority and CAD, a spokesman said of the flight reduction: “It is a prudent and pragmatic approach to safeguarding flight safety on one hand, and meeting the air traffic demand as much as practicable on the other.”

The CAD added that it “fully recognises the possible impact” to aircraft operators arising from the temporary runway capacity reduction, but had planned the changes when the weather was likely to be most stable and passenger demand to be low.

“The objective is to minimise disruption to airline schedules as far as practicable,” a spokesman said.

A successful transition would end the saga over the malfunctioning US-made radar system – Raytheon’s Auto Trac III (AT3) - which has added to the delays for the HK$1.5 billion upgrade.

The department’s existing flight radar system should have been retired in December 2012 because of “limited functionalities and capacity”.

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However, air traffic controllers are continuing to use it because the incoming system’s reliability and safety has not been guaranteed.

Flight experts and department insiders have deemed the incoming system unreliable. During a test run in 2014, controllers lost track of aircraft for 10 seconds.

Subsequent tests last July ran into a “catastrophic failure” as the system failed to respond to inspectors.

Once the new radar system is fully operational, controllers will be able to handle 8,000 flight plans per day and simultaneously monitor 1,500 air or ground movements – an increase of five times and 1.5 times, respectively, on what the existing system can cope with.