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Hong Kong’s plan for stake in Zhuhai airport could be boon for cargo business, but passenger flights another story: experts
- Plan to take controlling interest in neighbouring airport aims to tap into mainland market, wooing travellers from third and fourth-tier Chinese cities
- But some ‘struggle to see synergies’, pointing to competition from Shenzhen and ‘near-dominant’ Guangzhou
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Hong Kong’s planned tie-up with mainland China’s Zhuhai airport is likely to strengthen the financial hub’s global competitiveness in the cargo business, although the benefits for passengers are less clear, industry experts and an Airport Authority member say.
The plan is fraught with competitive and practical challenges for both airlines and passengers, according to experts and a Post review of aviation data.
“Airlines prefer connecting passengers at a single airport, ideally at a single terminal. That will save passengers time and save airlines costs,” said Zheng Lei, founder and president of the Institute for Aviation Research, an independent think tank.
I can see the synergies in the cargo, but in the passenger market, I am struggling to see synergies
But Frankie Yick Chi-ming, an Airport Authority board member, described Hong Kong and Zhuhai as a “perfect match”.
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“I can see the synergies in the cargo, but in the passenger market, I am struggling to see synergies,” Zheng said of Yick’s verdict.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor revealed new aviation initiatives in her annual policy address last month, outlining greater cooperation between the two airports via an equity injection.
The authority that runs Hong Kong International Airport last Thursday revealed talks would start soon to acquire a non-majority stake in the neighbouring airport to ensure input in its development.
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