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Following is the question by the Hon SIN Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Stephen Ip, in the Legislative Council today (February 22):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of aircraft routes between Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as the cities involved;
(b) of the respective numbers of passengers travelling by air from Hong Kong to the Mainland and vice versa in each of the past three years and, among them, the respective numbers of those who transited from Hong Kong to the Mainland and to overseas cities; and
(c) whether it plans to discuss with the relevant departments of the Mainland authorities the increase in the number of aircraft routes between Hong Kong and the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply
Madam President,
(a) The existing Mainland/HKSAR Air Services Arrangement provides for scheduled air services between Hong Kong and 45 cities in the Mainland. Currently, airlines of both sides operate on 40 of such routes, namely -
Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Huangshan, Kunming, Lanzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xian, Changchun, Changsha, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Harbin, Hefei, Jinan, Meixian, Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Yantai, Zhanjiang, Zhengzhou, Sanya, Shijiazhuang, Wuyishan and Urumqi.
The other five points not being served by scheduled services are Shenzhen, Lijiang, Beihai, Luoyang and Zhangjiajie.
(b) Numbers of passengers travelling by air between Hong Kong and the Mainland in the last three years, please refer to the attached annex.
(c) The HKSAR Government and the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China regularly review all aspects of the Mainland/HKSAR Air Services Arrangement, including the number of routes under the Arrangement. Our main objective is to seek to increase the number of routes and capacity for airlines of both sides to develop their businesses and to respond to market needs.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:41
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