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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, at a celebration in Madrid, Spain on June 9 (Madrid time) marking Cathay Pacific Airways' inaugural flight to Madrid:
Ivan (Chu), Mr Gómez-Pomar, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. I am most delighted to join you here tonight to celebrate the launch of direct passenger flights between Hong Kong and Madrid by Cathay Pacific Airways.
Madrid is the economic and cultural capital of Spain and one of the most famous metropolises of Europe. Madrid attracts millions of visitors each year and is always ranked among the most preferred destinations for tourists globally. As an important business centre of the region, Madrid is also the city of choice for trade, investment, enterprise and employment.
Madrid's enviable position is underpinned by its architecture and well-developed transport infrastructure. The Madrid-Barajas Airport, where I just came from, is one of the busiest airports in Europe and a major European hub for flights to South America - certainly another showcase of the city's success.
Hong Kong and Madrid have a lot in common. Located at the southern tip of China and the heart of Asia, Hong Kong is the perfect connector between East and West. It is a major transit hub for business and leisure travellers moving in and out of China, Asia and various parts of the world.
From Hong Kong, one can reach half of the world's population within five hours' flight time. Over 100 airlines operate more than 1 100 flights every day between Hong Kong and about 190 destinations worldwide, including 46 on the Mainland of China. Hong Kong's connectivity to the Mainland of China also extends over both land and sea.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is now the busiest cargo airport and the third busiest airport for international passengers in the world (after Dubai and London Heathrow). Last year, HKIA welcomed some 68 million passengers and handled 4.4 million tonnes of cargo, both reaching record high. We are also very proud that HKIA has been named the world's best airport for over 60 times over the years.
To continue our growth, we are expanding our airport into a three-runway system. The scale of the project is akin to building another airport, costing HK$141.5 billion involving reclamation of some 650 hectares of land. Upon completion of the project, the capacity of Hong Kong International Airport will increase to 100 million passengers and 9 million tonnes of cargo annually. The project will also equip our airport with smarter passenger-friendly technologies and make it one of the world's greenest airports.
Meanwhile, our Airport Authority will soon establish a Civil Aviation Academy to groom local and regional aviation talent.
At the same time, riding on China's Belt and Road Initiative which seeks to promote mutual development through economic co-operation and cultural exchanges among 60-plus countries along the Belt and Road corridors, we actively seek to expand our air traffic arrangements with these countries to facilitate the flow of cargo and foster more people-to-people exchanges.
Ladies and gentlemen, all along, passengers hoping to travel between Hong Kong and Spain have had to transit via other hubs. Cathay Pacific's new direct flights between Hong Kong and Madrid this month will change the current travel pattern and stimulate new travel demand, not only between Hong Kong and Spain, but also more widely between northeast and southeast Asia and southern Europe. With the direct flights, travellers from China and Asia heading to South America will also now find a pleasant new option to transit via Madrid, which I am sure will bring about new opportunities for both of our cities.
I wish Cathay Pacific the best of success with its new service to Madrid. Thank you very much and have a good evening.
Ends/Friday, June 10, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:17
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