‘We won’t solely rely on Cathay,’ Hong Kong’s transport chief says as airport capacity increases

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung says city cannot wait for Cathay recovery; other airlines lobbied to maximise traffic through airport

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Hong Kong’s flag carrier is being urged to aim high to help the airport make the most of its new third runway. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 9:30am, 12 Jul 2024Updated: 12:30pm, 12 Jul 2024

Hong Kong is turning to airlines other than Cathay Pacific Airways to fill capacity opened up by the airport’s third runway as the city’s flag carrier has had to delay its full recovery to the first quarter of next year.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung has also urged Cathay Pacific to bring forward its target date for a return to full capacity.

A source said that because of Cathay’s slower than expected recovery, the Airport Authority would announce its own initiatives next week to encourage other airlines to open up more routes and increase frequencies to fill extra capacity opened up by the third runway at the end of this year.

“We won’t wait for Cathay any more and we’ll go ahead with our plans to invite other airlines to run more services to Hong Kong to cater to the third runway,” the insider said. “The carrier has been too slow in recovering its capacity.”

Lam, in a wide-ranging interview with the Post, weighed in on the flag carrier’s responsibility to enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po appealed to Cathay to boost its service quality and expand its network.

Hong Kong has been fighting hard to cement its aviation hub status, a vision laid down in Beijing’s latest five-year national plan and mandated by the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.