Message from Dr. Angus Cheung, President of the HKAIA
I am really pleased and honored to be re-elected as the President of Hong Kong Aviation Industry Association (HKAIA). Since its inception in 2006, HKAIA has been working relentlessly with the industry stakeholders on enhancing the competitiveness and future development of Hong Kong’s Aviation Industry.
Hong Kong is an International Aviation Hub, with around 120 airlines operate flights between the Hong Kong International Airport and over 200 destinations worldwide including some 40 destinations in mainland China. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the Hong Kong International Airport remained the world’s busiest international cargo airport in 2022, demonstrating its long-standing leading position as an international aviation passenger and cargo hub. The Central Government has also expressed its support for Hong Kong to enhance its status as an international aviation hub in the National 14th Five-year plan.
With all remaining Covid-19 related constraints being lifted and travel freedoms reestablished, we have seen surging demand for passenger travel across all air travel markets and regions, and the Hong Kong Aviation industry’s recovery has proved to be “stronger than expected “which is being driven by initiatives to boost traffic into the city and Greater Bay Area. In fact, IATA has upgraded its passenger traffic projections for Hong Kong that now see a recovery to pre-crisis levels by the end of 2024. This revision brings Hong Kong’s recovery in line with expectations for a faster recovery in the Asia-Pacific region.
While demand for air travel has been strong, supply chain issues and labour shortage problems continue to apply headwinds to economic growth and to many industries, not least the aviation industry. As we look ahead to the recovery and prepare for future growth, it is important that the entire Hong Kong aviation community to work together to address the challenges and are well prepared to tap on future opportunities.
Facing the bright prospect, HKAIA will continue to work on our established targets to further enhance competitiveness and development of the aviation industry in contributing to the future growth of Hong Kong’s economy. Apart from its pivotal role in communicating with the government and our overseas counterparts, HKAIA will actively promote collaborations between our members as well as overseas business partners in exploring market opportunities, and to organize more activities to keep our members abreast of the latest development and application of aviation related technologies as well as attracting talents joining the industry.
Ir. Dr. Angus Cheung
President
December 2023