The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) is looking to further boost the standing of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) as a major aviation hub with plans in place to offer value-added services to the sector and improve gateway connectivity.

In a brief statement, AAHK said its chairman, Jack So, recently visited Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO) and met HAECO's senior management today to receive an update on business recovery.

So also had a briefing on HAECO's plan to expand their operation to Zhuhai as part of AAHK's plan to set up a high-end aviation industrial park in Zhuhai.

HAECO is an independent aircraft engineering and maintenance group with its head office located at Hong Kong International Airport.

"The two sides also explored the potential for further enhancing collaboration to capture opportunities in the Greater Bay Area," the statement said.

Hong Kong has been eyeing more collaborations with Greater Bay Area cities — which consists of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao Greater Bay Area — for growth opportunities.

The GBA has a combined population of 86.17 million people (5% of China's total population), and this is expected to reach 100 million people by 2030.

Aside from Hong Kong and Macao, the GBA is composed of nine key cities in the Guangdong Province of mainland China, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

It has also become one of the three key mega-regions of China, with a total GDP that reached US$2 trillion in 2021.