Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Wednesday that he sees the potential to develop an "airport city" around Chek Lap Kok, making it a hub of economic activity connecting the whole of the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Speaking at the opening of an aviation forum, Chan said the airport's strategic location close to mainland cities and Macau give it key advantages when it comes to the holding of conventions and exhibitions.

“That is where we are all talking about the one-hour living circle of the GBA and why prospects of our aviation hub would all the more be better," he said.

“The airport city will blend our city's core functions with cross-boundary, commercial, entertainment, tourism and MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions] businesses, making our airport a new engine, propelling Hong Kong's economic growth,” he said.

Chan added that the government is keen to make the airport 'smarter' through the use of things such as autonomous vehicles to carry passengers and baggage, and processing cargo in a more efficient and effective manner via a blockchain-based platform.

At the same event, Airport Authority Chairman Jack So said he expects the airport's new three-runway configuration to be fully operational by the end of next year.

The HK$145 billion third runway opened last November, but work is continuing on other facilities such as a new passenger concourse.

So said the completion of the work will be a major boost.

“With all the facilities completed by the end of next year, the whole airport's capacity will be increased by 50 percent to handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo,” he said.

So added that with the pandemic over, a full recovery for air traffic is in sight.

“At the moment, we have recovered about 60 percent of our passenger traffic and we expect to fully recover by the end of next year.”

Wan Xiangdong, Chief Pilot of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told the forum that international passenger travel on the mainland has returned to 50 percent of 2019 levels.

“From a medium- to long-term perspective, the Chinese international aviation market remains one of the most vibrant and potential markets in the world,” he said, adding that the numbers of qualified pilots, aircraft maintenance personnel and air traffic control staff have all increased.