Five Airports in the Greater Pearl River Delta Sign MOU Airports to Expand to Meet Demand for Future Growth

(HONG KONG, 25 March 2011) – Senior management of the five major airports in the Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD) region, including Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Zhuhai*, took part in the annual chairmen's meeting held in Hong Kong today. Management of the five airports agreed to strengthen co-operation and promote sustainable development of the airports in the region. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the meeting.

Hosted by the Hong Kong International Airport, the meeting focused on ways to foster closer co-operation and communications. Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the Transport and Housing Bureau of the HKSAR also joined the meeting.

Eva Cheng, Secretary for Transport and Housing of the HKSAR, briefed the members on Hong Kong's cross-boundary transport developments and integration with the Pearl River Delta (PRD).  She said, "Hong Kong's integration with the PRD is not only a natural development but also beneficial to the economic developments of the two places. Co-operation between Guangdong and Hong Kong is one of the important topics, be it in the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation signed last year or the recently announced 12th National Five-Year Plan. In the integration of Hong Kong and the PRD, development of cross-boundary transport infrastructure is a necessary prerequisite, and the HKSAR Government is actively pursuing strategic cross-boundary transport infrastructure projects."

Xia Xinghua, Vice Minister of CAAC, said, "Each of the five airports has its own market share and positioning. All of the five airports have ample room for further development as we transform PRD into a more competitive, world-class city cluster. We hope that the airports can continue to work together to seize the opportunities ahead, deepen their co-operation and leverage on each other's strengths to build a strategic co-operation platform. This will help boost the aviation economy of the country, driving the prosperity of the international and domestic aviation market and increasing the pace of change for PRD's industry structure and economic development to make great contributions to the region."

Dr Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), said the meeting enhanced communications among the airports in the region. "With the PRD economy growing even stronger, demand for air passenger and cargo traffic continues to surge. In the long term, even if the five airports deliver on all of their planned expansions, we still will not be able to meet the rising demand for aviation services. It will be in the best interests of the five airports to foster closer co-operation and complement each other to boost economic development in the region while stepping up their efforts to meet the demand for future growth."

Attending representatives also shared their views on a range of topics related to airport development in the region including airport development and planning, the opening of low-altitude airspace in the PRD region, the development of multi-modal transportation and exploration of the air traffic market.

The five airports in the GPRD signed the MOU to implement the Framework Agreement for Hong Kong/Guangdong and Macao/Guangdong Co-operation. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Xia Xinghua, Vice Minister of CAAC; Eva Cheng, Secretary for Transport and Housing, HKSAR; Su Langen, Director General, CAAC Office of Air Traffic Management Industry; Jiang Huaiyu, Director of CAAC Central and Southern Regional Administration; Pu Zhaozhou, Director, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, CAAC; and Dr Marvin Cheung, Chairman of the AA.

The MOU was jointly signed by Liu Zijing, President of Guangdong Airport Management Corporation; Stanley Hui Hon-chung, Chief Executive Officer of the AA; Liu Suning, Executive Director of Macau International Airport Company Limited; Wang Yang, Board Chairman of Shenzhen Airport Management Company Limited; and Li Guoming, Board Chairman of Zhuhai Airport Management Company Limited*.

The MOU endorsed the topics discussed in the meeting, most notably the pledge to implement the "Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the PRD Region" and the strengthening of co-operation among the five airports. The airports also agreed to speed up the construction of each airport's infrastructure so as to enhance each other's advantages. All members should respect the unique development needs of each airport amid close co-operation, achieve sustainable development, and meet the air traffic demand of the PRD market. Furthermore, the five airports pledged to enhance communications and co-operation by exchanging air traffic flow information regularly and discussing topics of mutual interest.

The chairmen's meeting of the five major airports in the GPRD region is held every year, chaired and organised by member airports in turn. The meeting was held in Macau last year. It will be chaired by Shenzhen International Airport next year.

*By alphabetical order of the participating airports