AA donates HK$1 billion relief for Hong Kong airport community
The Hong Kong Airport Authority (AA) has launched a further HK$1 billion relief package for the airport community with support from the government.
The AA has already introduced two rounds of relief measures in September 2019 and February 2020 before the latest package, amounting to about HK$1.6 billion.
These included measures for rental concessions and reduction or waiver of fees, among others, providing support to various businesses including airlines, ramp handlers, retail tenants, restaurants and franchisees.
The relief package to address the impact of the coronavirus outbreak is put together with a government waiver of HK$670 million in air traffic control charges to the AA for the year 2019/20, which will be passed on in full to the airport community, plus a sum of HK$330 million from the AA.
Relief measures
The relief measures target the aviation industry, airport retail tenants, restaurants and airport staff, with the authority revealing airlines will receive full waiver for five months on parking and airbridge fees for idle passenger aircraft and a 40 per cent reduction of passenger aircraft landing charges for four months. Other relief measures for airlines relate to ramp handling, maintenance and airside vehicle fees.
Full waiver of commercial service counter licence fees, in-terminal service licence fees and fees paid by cross-border transport operators for four months was also announced, together with rental relief for rent-paying airport shops and restaurants totalling HK$320 million.
Office and lounge rentals in the terminal and franchise fees for aviation support services – aircraft catering, into-plane fuelling and maintenance, as well as cargo terminal services – will be reduced by 10 to 50 per cent for three to four months.
In addition, the authority announced that total of HK$50 million has been earmarked for providing training allowance to frontline airport staff who are on no-pay leave, with a view to encouraging staff to enhance competencies and skills. The sum can benefit up to 25,000 staff.