Guangdong-HongKong-Macao Greater Bay Area Photo: VCG

 
Hong Kong aviation companies are looking forward to the opening of a cross-border helicopter waypoint in Qianhai, Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province to better link the cities and facilitate the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), ahead of an expected border reopening with mainland.

As a Hong Kong based airline, Cathay Pacific Airways said it welcomes and supports measures to strengthen the connection between Hong Kong and the GBA. It will continue to play the role of connecting the mainland with Hong Kong and serving cities in the GBA, the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Monday.

According to China's 14th Five-year Plan for port development, Qianhai will set up a cruise passenger terminal and cross-border helicopter waypoint to facilitate links to cities in the GBA.

"The new cross-border waypoint in Qianhai can undoubtedly provide more efficient and convenient travel options for business and leisure passengers in the GBA, strengthen the overall aviation advantages of the GBA and drive long-term economic development in the region," the company said in the statement.

In April, Cathay Pacific Airways signed a cooperation agreement with Heli Eastern, the first domestic cross-border helicopter enterprise allowed to operate between the mainland and Hong Kong, to promote the civil airliner plus helicopter service between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and cities in the GBA. 

"We believe that the new service mode will not only meet the diversified and personalized travel needs of passengers, but also improve the efficiency and high-quality development of the GBA," the company said.

The plan for the new traffic hub in Qianhai will help to develop business within the GBA, Liang Haiming, chairman of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, told the Global Times on Monday.

"It will definitely bring more development opportunities, more people, logistics and capital flow to Hong Kong and consolidate the city's status as an international trade center, international financial center and international logistics center," Liang said.

The timeline for the border reopening between Hong Kong and the mainland has accelerated, with mainland epidemic prevention and control experts having arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday for a four-day inspection, which will pave the way for customs clearance arrangements.

John Lee, chief secretary for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), said on Saturday said that the SAR will continue to take "clearing the pandemic" as its goal, in order to create favorable conditions for promoting orderly border reopening.