Industry has room to grow: Singapore MM Lee

Industry has room to grow: Singapore MM Lee 
 
SINGAPORE’S aviation sector still has a long runway of growth and it will also be fuelled by the boom in air travel across Asia, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last night.
While the airline industry creates 8 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product on average, it contributes only 5 per cent to Singapore’s.

‘So, we have a long way to go,’ he said at a dialogue to launch the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit.

He was responding to Air Mauritius chairman Sanjay Bhuckory, who asked if aviation in Singapore had reached its saturation point.

Mr Lee does not think so. He said: ‘The saturation point will come when the skies are so crowded that we can no longer have air traffic control making sure that every plane will land safely.

‘And we’re a long way from that because we’ve got the latest technology which will make sure that everybody takes off and lands with absolute safety.’

He pointed out that with Asia’s rise, new airports were being built and more people were travelling. Singapore also had the advantage of being well- connected to both Asia and Europe.

Last year for instance, 36.7 million passengers passed through Changi Airport, an all-time high. The airport can handle 70 million passengers annually.

An employee of Singapore Airport Terminal Services then asked if a second civilian airport would spring up here.

Mr Lee said he did not want to speculate, but believed that the military airbase at Paya Lebar could be converted into a civilian airport if necessary.

He added that the country has good air traffic arrangements that can see it through the next 20 to 30 years.
Source : Straits Times  - 18 Feb 2008

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