Chen Meibao: Hong Kong continues to encourage airlines to launch new routes and enhance the competitiveness of transit destinations.

The written reply from the Director of Transport and Logistics Bureau of Hong Kong, Ms. Chen Mei-bao, to the questions raised by lawmakers, stated that as a regional tourism and aviation hub, Hong Kong sees a large number of passengers transiting and transiting through Hong Kong every year. The government is strategically developing more business opportunities and enhancing the transit passenger experience in Hong Kong. At the same time, the government is also collaborating with the industry to launch discounted travel packages covering airlines, hotels, dining, attractions, and transportation for potential markets, further strengthening Hong Kong's competitiveness as a transit destination. Ms. Chen Mei-bao stated that the Hong Kong government has been working with the Civil Aviation Authority strategically to attract airlines to open new routes and increase flight frequencies through outreach teams, incentive programs, and policy facilitation measures. For example, the Civil Aviation Authority launched the "Air Network Expansion Plan" in June 2024, providing financial incentives to encourage airlines to operate new routes and increase frequencies on existing ones. By the end of May 2026, the plan had attracted 40 airlines to operate 89 new routes covering Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa, and increased frequencies on 14 existing routes. Hong Kong International Airport currently serves 223 destinations. From 2025 to date, the airport has added 43 new destinations (including those in mainland China, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, India, Laos, Greece, Latvia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Norway, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Italy, Germany, Australia, and Romania), providing a total of 96 scheduled flights per week for passengers and cargo, as well as ad-hoc passenger and cargo flights or charter services. To attract foreign airlines (especially from South America, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc.) to resume or launch new routes, the Civil Aviation Authority has actively met with different airlines to explore the possibility of resuming or launching new routes. For example, Etihad Airways resumed its service between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi in November 2025. Delta Air Lines recently restored its non-stop flight between Los Angeles after an eight-year hiatus. She also mentioned the increase in the departure tax for air passengers from HKD 120 to HKD 200 per passenger starting October 1, 2025. The new tax rate applies to tickets purchased on or after that date, with exemptions now covering passengers who arrive at the airport by plane and then depart from the airport by plane on the same day or the next day; as well as passengers who arrive in Hong Kong through other means and then depart from the airport by plane on the same day or the next day. Furthermore, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have expanded the "Guangdong vehicles traveling south" program in the middle of this year from the initial four applicable cities to all nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; increased the daily quota for reserved entry into Hong Kong city area for Guangdong vehicles from 100 to 200 vehicles; and launched the "Easy Parking Tour" service for Guangdong vehicles passengers to park and enter Hong Kong through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge checkpoint building. With the expansion of the "Guangdong vehicles traveling south" program, the government is promoting discount packages in consumption, parking, and accommodation for participants driving into the city area, aimed at attracting "Guangdong vehicles traveling south" passengers, particularly overnight and family travelers, to consume and explore various districts of Hong Kong. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority is also strengthening promotional efforts targeting tourists from the Greater Bay Area. For the "Easy Park Fly" service, since its launch, the Civil Aviation Authority has collaborated with mainland tourism platforms, car owner associations, and airlines to promote the service and provide usage guidelines through social media, influencers, and interviews with mainland media. As for the upcoming "Easy Park Tour," the Civil Aviation Authority will continue the above promotional model and work with business partners in Lantau Island to explore joint promotional activities, attracting tourists from the Greater Bay Area to drive to Hong Kong, visit different attractions and communities upon entry, and drive the development of local tourism, retail, and dining industries.