Hong Kong airport officials must make improvements and ensure a glitch that affected many passengers over the weekend does not happen again, Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday.

On Sunday, a computer malfunction paralysed real-time flight information updates on the airport's display screens, as well as on digital platforms, for hours.

Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said although no flights had to be cancelled, the glitch affected a lot of passengers.

He noted that transport authorities immediately met Airport Authority management regarding the incident, and that airport bosses had been told to submit a detailed report to prevent similar incidents from happening in future.

“We have asked the Airport Authority to conduct a comprehensive review of the system, including its backup system, to upgrade its capacity in activating the system and to review its risk management measures amid the completion of the third runway system," Lee said.

"Hong Kong International Airport is an international aviation hub. It is of paramount importance to provide high-quality and stable services to passengers."

Preliminary findings showed there were issues with activating the authority's backup system following the glitch.