Opinion | Hong Kong is stepping up its competitiveness in aviation
By funding upgrades to the airport and signing international aviation deals, the city is proactively working to expand its global reach
That will stand it in good stead as it fends off challenges to full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic – the main one being geopolitical tensions, such as the United States-China trade war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This leads to supply chain disruptions that can delay aircraft deliveries and fleet expansion, even if the shipment concerned is just a small part.
Airport Authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay told the recent inaugural Airspace Asia-Pacific 2025 conference that regional competitors, including Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul, were getting stronger. Nonetheless, Hong Kong still enjoyed the advantage of free-port status, which the authority was promoting to attract airlines and business partners.
The government has signed deals with the Latin American countries of Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Cuba, along with Poland in Europe and Togo in West Africa, over the past two months.
The new deals add to agreements with more than 10 countries that the government has secured over the past two years. These destinations are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and are strategically important to Hong Kong, according to Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan.
It is a testament to confidence in the expansion that the authority is pushing ahead with its HK$100 billion Skytopia project at the airport, featuring a 600-berth yacht marina, a water recreation area, a “jet fresh market” to rival Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market and a development called Skycity that will host a hotel, offices and commercial space.