Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Singapore's Changi Airport have reported record passenger and cargo traffic for 2000. HKIA passenger throughput was up 10% at 33.37 million during the year, while cargo throughput was 13% up on the previous year, at 2.24 million tonnes. Changi saw 10% passenger traffic growth, reaching 28.6 million, with cargo volumes up 12% to 1.7 million tonnes. Annual capacity at Changi will increase to 64 million passengers when the third terminal opens in 2006. Terminal 1 is being refurbished and expanded, while Terminal 2 will soon also undergo a major facelift. Both terminals will be modified to handle the Airbus A380 which enters service with Singapore Airlines in March 2006. Exeter Airport in the UK has applied for outline planning permission to construct a new terminal on the north side of the airfield, which will boost the airport's annual capacity to 2.5 million when it opens in 6-7 years. The airport currently handles around 350,000 passengers annually. The US Department of Transportation has granted $148.4 million from the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, to construct a new, parallel runway at Cleveland Airport, Ohio. The new runway will serve as the primary landing runway at the airport. The funding also includes money for environmental impact mitigation. The European Investment Bank (EIB) says it will loan $23 million to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) to fund air traffic control (ATC) systems for Bangkok's new international airport. Suwannabhumi Airport at Nong Ngu Hao, 25km east of Bangkok, is due to open in 2004 at a cost of $64 million. SITA has been awarded a five-year contract to supply its Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) to Guinea's Conakry Gbessia International Airport. CUTE will allow shared check-in, boarding, departure control and back office operations across 21 workstations at the airport.
Source: Flight International
