Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) hosted a cocktail reception in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) with around 1,000 guests from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the airport community and different sectors attending.
The event was officiated by John Lee, Chief Executive of HKSAR and Jack So, Chairman of AAHK. Pan Yundong, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR; Lam Sai-hung, Secretary for Transport and Logistics; Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury; Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Security; Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; Prof. LO Chung-mau, Secretary for Health; Fred Lam, Chief Executive Officer of AAHK and board members of AAHK also joined the event.
John Lee, Chief Executive of HKSAR said that,” The Hong Kong International Airport is consistently rated as one of the best and busiest airports anywhere. It is also an engineering marvel that continues to grow and evolve as our skyward gateway to the world. We will continue to enhance our status as an international aviation hub under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. We are committed to bringing fresh impetus to the Airport to stay ahead of the competition with other regional airports. We see that impetus emerging in the form of the Three-Runway System and SKYCITY, two mega projects that will significantly boost handling capacities and give rise to a dynamic “Airport City”.”
Jack So, Chairman of AAHK said,” 25 years have seen a lot of progress in HKIA, we grew from 28 million passengers back in 1998 to 75 million just before the pandemic and for many years, we retained the position of No. 1 in air cargo. The past three years of pandemic have been difficult for Hong Kong, especially for HKIA, but we persisted in building the Three-runway System for future expansion. The new runway has been operational since November last year. Looking to the future, when all the ancillary facilities are fully open, the capacity of HKIA will be increased by 50% to cater for 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo, sufficient to meet the demand for next 30 years. Moreover, we are making good progress in our vision to build an airport city, which will comprise aviation, tourism, trade, retail and entertainment, and will be an iconic landmark for the whole Greater Bay Area.”
In addition, Mr So announced at the reception that to celebration the 25th anniversary of HKIA, free round-trip tickets from Hong Kong to multiple destinations in Asia will be given away to Hong Kong residents starting this month.
AAHK purchased 500,000 tickets from home-based airlines during the pandemic in 2020 to support the industry. As the pandemic subsided, AAHK launched the “World of Winners” air ticket giveaway campaign in March and started giving away tickets to travellers in major markets around the world to boost the recovery of Hong Kong’s air traffic. Starting from 11 July, AAHK will give away a total of 80,000 tickets to Hong Kong residents through different channels of home-based airlines.
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