A new way to fly? Hong Kong ready to commit to long-term expansion of Zhuhai airport for passengers, cargo and new aviation park
- Airport Authority shows it’s serious about long-term prospects of airport in western Greater Bay Area
- ‘Fly-Via-Zhuhai-HK’ scheme expected to launch around May, allowing passengers to use both airports for connections
Hong Kong’s Airport Authority wants to deepen its commitment to mainland China’s Zhuhai airport by owning assets there, as part of a plan to consolidate the city’s aviation status in the Greater Bay Area, according to the statutory body’s chief operating officer.
The two cities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in November, outlining several collaborations to inject investment into Zhuhai airport, develop the international air cargo business at both places and create an aviation industrial park.
This presented a “great opportunity” for further investment, in particular in the western Greater Bay Area, and promised more business opportunities for Hong Kong, said Vivian Cheung Kar-fay, a senior official with the Airport Authority.
The authority, which already has a 55 per cent stake in the mainland Chinese company that has managed the airport across the border since 2006, now wants to own assets at the site.
“This will deepen the cooperation between the Airport Authority and the Zhuhai government because the airport is actually owned by a subsidiary company of the Zhuhai government,” Cheung said.
“By deepening the collaboration so that we own the assets, they will also feel that we have a strong commitment to continue developing Zhuhai airport.”
However, she declined to reveal how much the authority aimed to own, as the matter was still under negotiation.
