Policy Address

International Aviation Hub

75. The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continued to rank first in cargo throughput in 2022, demonstrating its long-standing leading position as an international aviation and cargo hub.

76. The Government will continue to work with the AAHK to enhance the competitiveness of the HKIA. We will press ahead with the Three-Runway System and various projects under the "Airport City" vision, including SKYCITY, the premium logistics centre at the South Cargo Precinct and the smart airport, for developing core passenger and cargo transport services. We will:

  1. open up opportunities for cargo transport – Operating on a pilot basis, the HKIA Logistics Park set up by the AAHK in Dongguan allows export cargo from the Mainland to go through security screening, palletisation and cargo acceptance in advance in Dongguan before being transported by sea to HKIA for export by air, without the need to repeat screening procedures and thereby achieving savings in time and operating cost. The operation has been smooth to date, and the AAHK plans to complete the first-phase construction of a permanent facility for the logistics park by end-2025 so that the cargo handling capacity will reach one million tonnes per annum. Furthermore, new facilities are being completed for the development of the international aviation hub, including the express cargo terminal of DHL Express at the HKIA, scheduled for opening next month, and the premium logistics centre recently completed by a joint venture led by Cainiao Network;

  2. introduce autonomous transportation system – The AAHK will introduce an autonomous transportation system to carry passengers along the Airport City Link connecting SKYCITY and the Hong Kong Port Island of the HZMB from 2025 onwards, and it plans to extend the system to Tung Chung Town Centre in 2028;

  3. enhance intermodal passenger service – Actively leveraging the complementarity with the Zhuhai Airport's aviation network in the Mainland, the HKIA will introduce the "Fly-Via-Zhuhai-Hong Kong" passenger service so that Mainland and international passengers can enjoy seamless travel between the Mainland and other places in the world via Zhuhai and Hong Kong in an "air-land-air" mode using the HZMB. In future, the new service will be promoted to more Mainland passengers; and

  4. streamline screening of carry-on luggage – The AAHK will gradually introduce "Smartlane", beginning next year, so that passengers will not need to take out such items as liquids and electronic devices from their carry-on luggage during aviation security screening, making the screening process faster and more convenient.