HONG KONG AND HKIA HKIA – AN INTERNATIONAL AVIATION HUB Since its opening in 1998, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has grown to be one of the finest and busiest airports in the world. Over 95 airlines provide services between Hong Kong and about 160 destinations (about 45 of which are on the Mainland). Renowned for its inspiring architectural design, superb efficiency, superior service quality, and unrivalled connectivity, HKIA has over the years received close to 40 world’s best airport awards from organisations such as the Airports Council International and Skytrax. To many, HKIA is the crown jewel of Hong Kong – the pride of Hong Kong. HKIA is not merely a piece of transport infrastructure that serves the local travelling public. It is an international aviation hub that generates enormous economic value for Hong Kong. In 2008, the total economic contribution made by aviation in Hong Kong and other businesses at HKIA amounted to HK$78 billion in value added1, or 4.6% of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product (GDP). More importantly, the four economic pillars of Hong Kong – financial services, trading and logistics, tourism, and producer and professional services (together constituting 57% of our GDP) – rely heavily upon the efficient flow of people and goods made possible by HKIA. Hong Kong also has significant functions and positioning in the national development strategy, as elaborated in “The Outline of the 12th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China” (the National 12-5 Plan), which was promulgated in March 2011. The National 12-5 Plan sets out the Central Authorities’ support for Hong Kong to consolidate and enhance its competitive advantages (including consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international centre for financial 1 “Value added” is defined as the value of gross output less the value of intermediate consumption (the value of goods and services used up in the course of production). The value added figure quoted here is assessed by an independent consultant and includes direct, indirect and induced contribution. 4