Hong Kong Lures Mainland Passengers into Its Airport

News in Asia
Hong Kong Lures Mainland Passengers into Its Airport

Hong Kong is gradually taking a leading role as an air hub to help advance China’s ambitious global trade and infrastructure strategy with Beijing remaining fully behind, according to a top Chinese aviation official.

Over the next six years Hong Kong airport aims to almost double the number of remote check-in and bag-drop facilities in mainland cities of China with the total number of such facilities reaching 29. This move will contribute to capturing a greater share of cross-border air travellers as part of Hong Kong’s bay area ambition.

Also, Hong Kong will try to obtain air service agreements for permission to launch more commercial flights to countries that joined the Belt and Road Initiative, the China’s government ambitious development strategy involving infrastructure development and investments in over 150 countries and international organization in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Africa. Indeed, Hong Kong does already have aviation agreements with 49 such countries and jurisdictions.

By 2025, 13 new upstream check-in facilities will be set up by Hong Kong airport, a sizeable addtion to the 16 similar already existing facilities at ferry terminals, cross-border checkpoints and downtown facilities in bay area cities.

It is only one of the moves to encourage more mainland passengers to fly through Hong Kong’s airport rather than rivals in Guangzhou or Shenzhen.

Source

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