Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department: Hong Kong Airport passenger traffic has returned to 80% of pre-pandemic levels; 880 foreign workers have arrived in Hong Kong.

On March 1st, the Chief Executive Officer of Airport Operations of the Hong Kong Airport Authority, Simon Yao, stated that with the boost of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the passenger flow at Hong Kong Airport has returned to 80% of pre-pandemic levels, approximately 160,000 people, and he is satisfied with the overall operation and service level. He revealed that as of the end of last month, the airport has hired over 2,000 foreign laborers, with around 1,800 applying for visas, and 880 already in Hong Kong, with progress being ideal. Today, the Hong Kong Airport Authority held an employment information day, offering over 3,000 job vacancies, including positions in cargo logistics and ground services. Simon Yao mentioned that before the pandemic, excluding government employees, the airport had around 73,000 staff, which had decreased to 53,000 after the pandemic, but over the past year had risen to 60,000, which is just enough to meet current needs. He pointed out that the airport is increasing manpower in three main directions: short, medium, and long term. In the short term, job fairs will be held, in the medium term, the government-led "Supplementary Labour Enhancement Program" will bring in foreign labor, and in the long term, continuous local training will be conducted. As for the issue of transportation for foreign laborers to work, he mentioned that different companies have different arrangements currently. Some provide direct transport, with a commute time from dormitories to the airport taking only an hour and fifteen minutes. The Hong Kong Airport Authority understands that some employees have longer commutes, and the company is continuing to explore ways to shorten the commute time.