The cluster will include aircraft maintenance engineering, manufacturing and distribution of aircraft parts and components, and research on aircraft engineering.

This comes after Lam proposed in her Policy Address last year that Airport Authority will inject equity in the Zhuhai Airport to strengthen Hong Kong-Zhuhai airport co-operation. The proposal is being followed up on.

The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy will also help nurture technical talents for the aviation sectors of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and the Greater Bay area.

“Although the global aviation industry, with Hong Kong being no exception, has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, I remain confident that our status as an international aviation hub could be consolidated and enhanced,” she said.

The construction of the third runway is a strategic investment to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's airport, she said.

The commissioning of the third runway is targeted for 2022 and the full completion of the third runway system is scheduled for 2024.

Cathay Pacific welcomes the initiatives to strengthen the connectivity between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, which will greatly benefit the aviation industry across the wider region.

“In particular, the airline supports the planned establishment of a high-end aviation industrial cluster in Zhuhai as well as the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy’s efforts to help nurture aviation-related talents for Hong Kong, Zhuhai and the Greater Bay Area,” Cathay CEO Augustus Tang said.

“Hong Kong has an unrivalled position in the Greater Bay Area, a region that presents wonderful opportunity for the Hong Kong aviation hub and Hong Kong in general, and which will be the growth engine for the world economy over the next few decades.”