Central Asia is an emerging market where civil air services agreements are important for stabilizing Hong Kong’s cargo growth, despite a projected low volume of transit passengers, chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong Fred Lam Tin-fuk said on Sunday.
His remarks came after Airport Authority representatives signed memoranda of understanding with aviation partners in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan during Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s recent visit.
Cathay Pacific is also scheduled to launch direct flights to Almaty in the first quarter of 2027.
Speaking on a radio program, Lam emphasized that opening routes to Central Asia outweighs the mere expansion into new markets, noting that it also plays a key role in supporting the development of the three-runway system.
He noted that around 13 percent of Hong Kong’s air cargo relied on transshipment through the Middle East to reach Europe previously. Amid recent conflicts in the Middle East, cargo volumes through the region plunged by 30 to 40 percent in March and April this year.
Lam said Central Asia, situated north of the Middle East and south of Russia, can serve as a new air freight corridor linking Hong Kong and Europe, especially given its competitive shipping costs. He believed the region could act as a key hub for Asia-Europe cargo.
He also highlighted the strong potential of Central Asia’s air routes. In the first five months of this year, over 3,300 tonnes of cargo arrived in Hong Kong from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, a nearly fivefold surge from around 700 tonnes in the same period last year.
The number of European and Central Asian shipping companies operating flights to Hong Kong has also risen from 17 to 29. With further route expansion next year, cargo volume is expected to exceed 10,000 tonnes.
