Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) and Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) signed a cooperation agreement in Shanghai today for the establishment of the Shanghai Hong Kong Airport Management Co., Ltd (JV). The jointventure company is aimed at enhancing collaboration between and further develop the strengths of the airports in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the two said.

Shanghai is the first Mainland city to have two international airports. Pudong Airport, an international hub airport with an extensive global flight network, is supplemented by Hongqiao Airport, a domestic hub airport serving point-to-point coverage. Together, the two airports form the Shanghai aviation hub, handling the world’s 11thlargest passenger volume, third-highest airfreight tonnage and 16th-busiest flight movements in 2008.

Upon the completion of Hongqiao Airport’s expansion in March 2010, the two airports in Shanghai will have a total of four terminals and five runways for a combined annual capacity of 90 million passenger trips and 5.2 million tonnes of cargo.

SAA chairman and president Wu Nianzu said: “Forming the JV will enable us to leverage Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)’s wealth of management experience and skills in operating a renowned hub airport, thereby further improving our operating efficiency and management to equip ourselves for the upcoming World Expo. The JV will also contribute to establishing Shanghai’s ‘four centres’, especially that of an international logistics centre as part of the national strategy. It will also boost the Shanghai airports’ international competitiveness so that we will better serve the Yangtze River Delta region and the entire nation.”

“While Hongqiao Airport is one of the five busiest airports in the Chinese mainland, HKIA is a global and regional aviation hub serving passengers from all over the world,” said AAHK CEO Stanley Hui Hon-chung. “The JV will combine and leverage the respective strengths of the two airports. It will also help Mainland airports enhance their operating efficiency and management and become a role model for modern airport management in China.”