HONG KONG 1 AND HKIA services, trade and shipping), to nurture its emerging industries and develop the six industries where Hong Kong enjoys clear advantages, and to deepen economic cooperation with the Mainland. The rapid growth of HKIA into an aviation hub is due to many factors. Leveraging on our geographical location at the heart of Asia Pacific and at the doorstep of the growing Mainland market, we have over the years developed an aviation network that does not only serve origin-anddestination traffic but also transfer traffic of passengers and transhipment of cargo around the world. Transfer traffic tends to flow through aviation hubs with the best connections and such traffic would in turn facilitate aviation hubs to develop a thicker network with higher frequency of services. The development of HKIA was supported by the progressive liberalisation policy on air services adopted by the Government that positions HKIA as a gateway destination and opens access to a wide network of destinations around the world. Our own professional management and continued investment in the airport infrastructure, as well as the investments and contributions made by Hong Kong-based airlines and key stakeholders of the airport community, contribute further towards sustaining HKIA’s global reputation. HKIA’s status as an international aviation hub is best testified to by its remarkable growth in throughput and connectivity. In 1998, HKIA HK$ generated by Hong Kong’s aviation industry in 2008 78 BILLION HKIA MASTER PLAN 2030 5