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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung at the 57th Assembly of Presidents of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines today (November 15):
Mr (Andrew) Herdman, Mr (John) Slosar, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It's a great honour to be here and join you at this opening ceremony of the 57th Assembly of Presidents of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), hosted by Dragonair.
First of all, may I extend my warmest welcome to all airline delegations from the Asia Pacific Region. And thank you very much for bringing the sunshine to Hong Kong this morning. It was already eight years ago when the Assembly of Presidents was last held in Hong Kong. I think you've made the right choice to come back to Hong Kong for the Assembly.
Hong Kong is at the heart of Asia and positions itself as Asiaˇ¦s world city. Within five hours' flight from Hong Kong you can reach half of the worldˇ¦s population.
Asia is booming in the 21st century. And as my previous speakers have said, Asia is where much of the aviation action takes place. According to the East Asia and Pacific Economic Update released by the World Bank last month, the economies of East Asia and the Pacific are projected to grow at 7.1 percent in 2013. Our region will contribute 40 per cent of global growth and one-third of global trade this year, higher than any other region in the world.
Home to two-thirds of the world's population, the Asia Pacific is a region of many opportunities and dynamic growth. Of course, China as well. Aviation plays a pivotal role in supporting economic growth, cultural development and bringing people and cultures together. This would not have been possible without the collaboration of governments and industry players.
The AAPA is an exemplary demonstration of how governments and industry players can work together, through the articulation of multiple views, perspectives, and interests on a common platform. And to speak with one voice, as both Andy and John have said earlier, one Asian voice gears towards the further growth and healthy development of global aviation. I would like to commend the AAPA on a job well done over the past five decades.
Here in Hong Kong, we are witnessing exciting developments as well in our aviation industry. Taking advantage of our strategic location as an important gateway to China, one of the fastest growth areas of the world, the network of the Hong Kong International Airport and our home-based carriers have continued to expand. We now have around 110 airlines operating some 7,000 flights every week between Hong Kong and 180 destinations worldwide. Hong Kong is the busiest international air cargo hub and one of the top 10 busiest passenger airports of the world.
To cope with ever-increasing traffic demand, both internationally and from within the region, the Airport Authority Hong Kong is now pressing ahead with the planning of a third runway. Upon completion of the three-runway system, targeted for commissioning in 2023, Hong Kong International Airport will have the capacity to handle over 600,000 flight movements, close to 100 million passengers, and some 9 million tonnes of cargo per year.
The Government has also committed $1.6 billion to replace the existing air traffic control (ATC) system. The new ATC system will better equip our aeronautic authority to handle air traffic growth in the coming decades, keeping Hong Kong at the cutting edge of competition with enhanced productivity and top-notch service quality.
Hardware aside, we also believe that the "people factor" is vital to the sustainable development of our aviation industry. The Government promotes a tri-partite approach, involving the Government, industry and educational and training institutions, to further strengthen our aviation workforce, as well as to attract "new blood" into the industry.
We have recently earmarked 100 million Hong Kong dollars to establish a Maritime and Aviation Training Fund. Under this fund, scholarship and internship/exchange schemes will be provided, and support given to enhancing existing training programmes as well as launching new ones, all with an aim to building up a strong pool of professional expertise at different levels.
We are also studying a proposal to establish a civil aviation training institute to serve both Hong Kong and the region.
Aviation links are a priority for us because they are vital to Hong Kong's global connectivity. Our progressive liberalisation policy on air services has helped to inject vibrancy into our aviation industry and open up new opportunities. At present, Hong Kong has signed Air Services Agreements with 62 aviation partners, as well as with the Mainland of China and Taiwan.
Our close air links with the Mainland and Taiwan enable Hong Kong to have a special position in cross-straits exchange. Taking advantage of our liberal air services arrangements, there are more than 1,000 passenger and all-cargo flights connecting Hong Kong and Mainland cities, as well as about 500 passenger and all-cargo flights connecting Hong Kong and Taiwan every week.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Asia Pacific Region will continue to be in the global spotlight, and will continue to create new milestones in the aviation industry. In the process, I am sure the AAPA will remain at the forefront to promote the wider interests of Asia Pacific aviation.
I wish this year's Assembly great success. For overseas delegates, I hope you will bring home not only fresh ideas and innovative perspectives from the deliberations during this Assembly, but also many fond memories of your stay in Hong Kong. Thank you very much.
Ends/Friday, November 15, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:48
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