CAAC Voices Full Support for HKIA’s Expansion into Three-runway System

(HONG KONG, 2 September 2015) – Jack So Chak-kwong, Chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), met with Li Jiaxiang, Director General of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in Beijing today.

During the meeting, Mr Li commended Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) development into a world-class airport and air cargo centre for Asia, and added that the CAAC fully supports HKIA’s plan to expand into a three-runway system. He also said the CAAC will proactively advance various initiatives concerning airspace management in Pearl River Delta region.

Mr So briefed Mr Li on the latest development at HKIA, including recent traffic figures and updates on important infrastructural developments. For the first seven months of the year, the airport welcomed nearly 40 million passengers and handled over 230,000 flight movements, representing year-on-year increases of 8.6% and 4.2% respectively. Cargo volume rose to 2.4 million tonnes during the period.

The AA chairman also told Mr Li that the construction of HKIA’s three-runway system is expected to take eight years to complete. He added that the airport’s existing two-runway system is likely to reach full capacity by 2016 or 2017, underscoring the pressing need for expansion.

Mr So emphasised the importance of HKIA’s extensive flight network connecting different parts of the world and Hong Kong’s geographic position to the “One Belt, One Road” development initiative. He stressed that the sooner the three-runway system project begins, the more that Hong Kong would be connected to the “One Belt, One Road” regions, which will be able to benefit from the development strategy, particularly in the areas of funding and financing, trading, professional services, diversified tourism and emerging industries.