On February 19, CAAC and HK Transport and Housing Bureau, Civil Aviation Department and Airport Authority held Meeting on Coordinated Civil Aviation Development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Beijing. The meeting was an effort to implement the Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, aimed to deepen civil aviation cooperation between China Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao regions and to facilitate coordinated civil aviation development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Before the meeting, a more open Air Services Arrangement between China Mainland and HK SAR was signed. CAAC Deputy Administrator Wang Zhiqing presided over the meeting, Secretary for Transport and Housing Chan Fan, Director General of Civil Aviation Li Tin Chui and HK Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Fred Lam delivered work report, and persons in charge from Department of Communication, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and relevant departments of CAAC attended the meeting.

Wang Zhiqing pointed out that over the 20 years since Hong Kong’s return to China, the civil aviation industry in China Mainland and Hong Kong has advanced hand in hand and achieved great results against the rapid development of the country. After the new era began, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally planed, deployed and promoted the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as the new measure and practice of the state to promote the strategic layout of comprehensive opening-up and development of “One Country Two Systems”, in an effort to provide precious opportunity and platform for deepening civil aviation cooperation between China Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao regions. Currently, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has already ranked the first among global airport clusters in bay areas in terms of air traffic with strong growth demand and great potential. The two civil aviation industries should grasp the critical strategic opportunity brought by the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay to further strengthen cooperation and promote civil aviation growth in the area so as to support the area development.

Chen Fan expressed that Hong Kong would not have realized civil aviation development without the flexibility enabled by the “One Country Two Systems” policy and the Basic Law and support from the country. Hong Kong Airport is of great importance to the overall development of the Special Administrative Region. For the next step of development, Hong Kong will deepen cooperation with the civil aviation industry of China Mainland under the concept of “pursuing shared growth through consultation and collaboration”, so as to facilitate the building of world-class airport cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Before the meeting, CAAC and Hong Kong Transport and Housing Bureau updated the MOU on Air Services Arrangement between China Mainland and HK SAR, which further expanded air transport and multimodal transport arrangements between China Mainland and HK, moderately increased routes and frequencies of flights between Shanghai Hongqiao and HK airports, clarified destination arrangements after Beijing Daxing International Airport starts operation, explored cross-border helicopter service and enabled air transport enterprises of the two sides to use helicopters for routes between Guangdong province and HK. The updated MOU will bring more convenient and diversified air transport services to passengers.