Editorial | Use third airport runway to cement Hong Kong’s hub status

The third runway will be fully operational at Hong Kong International Airport towards the end of the year. Global aviation has rebounded from the pandemic. Likewise, Hong Kong’s own air transport industry and its flagship Cathay Pacific have made significant strides.

So it is imperative that the third runway achieves full capacity quickly to cement the city’s status as an international transport hub. Both passenger and cargo capacities need to be brought fully online.

Cathay, though, has said it is expecting a delay in its full recovery to the first quarter of next year due to the poor economic environment. That is why the government is wise to move to plan B – to seek out more airlines to utilise the new capacity. Cathay needs to boost its service quality and expand its network quickly.

But while urging the carrier to bring forward its target date for full capacity, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung is right to warn that the city cannot wait. The government expressed disappointment at the airline’s slower-than-expected recovery.

Authorities are turning to airlines from mainland China and overseas to help fill capacity. The airport authority has offered an annual subsidy of up to HK$7 million to airlines launching a new daily route.

It remains to be seen how successful they will be, but officials are right to entice other airlines to open routes and increase frequencies. The urgency is understandable – the city’s hub status is part of Beijing’s latest five-year national plan for the local aviation industry.