Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Routes World 2025 today (September 25): 

Fred (Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Fred Lam), Steven (Managing Director of Routes, Mr Steven Small), Vivian (Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mrs Vivian Cheung), distinguished guests from the aviation industry, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. A very warm welcome to Routes World 2025. It is a great pleasure to join so many distinguished leaders and professionals from across the global aviation sector. While the inclement weather may have disrupted some of your plans to explore our city, I trust it has also offered you a glimpse into Hong Kong's resilience in tackling climate challenges, and the efficiency of our world-class city management. 

     First of all, thank you for hosting this landmark 30th edition of Routes World in Hong Kong. Over the next couple of days, you'll be sharing insights and experiences, and exploring the future pathways for air route development. These discussions are vital not only for shaping the future of global aviation, but also for fostering deeper economic collaboration, as well as understanding and friendship among peoples. I am proud that Hong Kong is serving as the meeting point for such meaningful dialogues. 

     We meet at a time of remarkable momentum in global aviation. According to the IATA, global air passenger traffic grew by over 10 per cent year-on-year in 2024. And despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts and economic uncertainties, passenger demand is projected to rise by another 6 per cent this year. Air cargo volume is also expected to grow slightly, reaching 69 million tonnes. This growth is accompanied by a positive outlook on airline revenues and profitability, supported in part by more stable fuel prices.

     Much of the above expansion and vitality is led by the Asia-Pacific region, where China accounts for over 40 per cent of the regional traffic. Other regions, such as the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, are also seeing significant growth.

     Hong Kong is benefiting from this global boom. Last year, our airport handled 53 million passengers, an increase of 34 per cent year-on-year. In the first eight months of this year, we welcomed 40 million passengers, up another 15 per cent. For 14 of the past 15 years, the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been the world's busiest cargo airport.

     Today, our airport operates over 1 000 flights daily, connecting more than 210 destinations worldwide through some 140 airlines. To meet the rising demand, we are making substantial investments in our aviation infrastructure. The commissioning of the Three-Runway System last year was a major milestone. It enables our airport to handle up to 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2035.

     Complementing this is the HKIA's "SKYTOPIA" development plan, which will transform our airport from an aviation hub into a world-leading landmark for commerce, tourism, arts and leisure. It is indeed a visionary project, featuring art storage facilities, a state-of-the-art sportainment complex, Hong Kong's largest yacht marina, and more.

     Thanks to our international connectivity, Hong Kong also serves as the preferred gateway for international travel by residents in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Currently, around 20 per cent of our airport's passengers come from the GBA. With rising travel demand from this region, we see immense potential for this number to grow even further. To support this, we are enhancing the intermodal transport network in the GBA, and streamlining immigration and customs clearance procedures, to facilitate more efficient flows of passengers and cargo.

     The world is changing rapidly, with geopolitics reshaping global economic dynamics and patterns of passenger travel.

     Notwithstanding this, China remains firmly committed to high-level two-way opening up, welcoming more international businesses and travellers. Its expanding unilateral visa exemption for more and more countries is a good case in point. Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to the Mainland will only grow stronger. As a matter of fact, in the first eight months of this year, travellers to Hong Kong from outside the Chinese Mainland reached 7.7 million, rising by 16 per cent year-on-year. 

     In this connection, we are not only reinforcing ties with traditional partners in Europe and North America, but also expanding our network across the Global South, including ASEAN, the Middle East, Central Asia and Latin America. We are actively working to introduce new destinations and increase flight frequencies with emerging markets, particularly for long-haul routes.

     These efforts are already bearing fruit. Over the past two years, we have expanded bilateral air services agreements with more than 10 economies. In the past two months, we reached consensus with Chile and Poland respectively to work on new air services agreements that will further strengthen our connectivity with the economies in those regions.

     Equally important is our commitment to sustainability. In the Policy Address delivered last week, we presented Hong Kong's vision in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). That includes developing the related industry chain in the GBA, the whole chain from upstream to downstream. This initiative will support our goal of achieving the targeted SAF consumption ratio for flights departing from the HKIA by 2030, and in becoming a leader in SAF in this region. 

     Ladies and gentlemen, events like Routes World provide an invaluable platform to build partnerships and foster collaboration. I invite you to make the most of the programmes and networking opportunities over the coming days. 

     My sincere thanks to Informa Markets and the Airport Authority Hong Kong for bringing this exceptional event to reality. Thank you all, and I wish you a productive and inspiring conference.

Ends/Thursday, September 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 10:38

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