Civil Aviation Administration of China backing Hong Kong as important location for Greater Bay Area developments
Beijing is fully behind Hong Kong taking a leading role as an air hub to help advance China’s ambitious global trade and infrastructure strategy, a top Chinese aviation official told industry leaders on Tuesday.
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) deputy administrator Dong Zhiyi hailed Hong Kong as a “very important location” for Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and “Greater Bay Area” projects as the city hosted the fourth Aviation Silk Road International Conference.
Hong Kong’s airport aims to double check-in facilities in mainland Chinese cities over next six years
As part of Hong Kong’s bay area ambition, the city’s airport aims to nearly double the number of remote check-in and bag-drop facilities in mainland cities to 29 over the next six years, to capture a greater share of cross-border air travellers.
“The CAAC has always paid great attention to the development of civil aviation in Hong Kong,” Dong said. “Next up, we are going to study how we can better plan civil aviation in the Greater Bay Area to have more defined reforms, high-quality coordinated and differentiated development.
Cathay Pacific suggests to open more airspace for civil aviation
Hong Kong’s role in the bay area, which aims to transform the city and 10 others in the Pearl River Delta into an integrated global economic hub, would be that of a bridge in policy communication, infrastructure connectivity, trade and financing cooperation and cultural exchanges, according to China’s civil aviation regulator.
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, offered its own suggestions at the conference, including the need for relaxed boundary controls to allow the best use of existing infrastructure and to open up more airspace for civil aviation.
