Speech by STL at Hong Kong International Aviation Academy's Graduation Ceremony for 2021 Cohort of Advanced Master Programme in Air Transport Management (English only) (with photos)
10.3.2023

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, at the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy's Graduation Ceremony for 2021 Cohort of Advanced Master Programme in Air Transport Management today (March 10): Fred (Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Mr Fred Lam), Simon (President of the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy (HKIAA), Mr Simon Li), Mr Cazalis (Vice President of the National School of Civil Aviation of France (ENAC), Mr Nicolas Cazalis) , distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. It is my honour to be here today to celebrate with you the graduation of the 2021 cohort of the Advanced Master Programme in Air Transport Management. This is an especially delightful occasion to me personally, not just because this is my first time to attend the graduation ceremony for this Programme, but for three other important reasons as well. Firstly, for the first time in three years, we have our graduates from outside Hong Kong joining us under the same roof, without face masks. Secondly, I am also excited that our partner from the National School of Civil Aviation of France are with us today. I can imagine Mr Cazalis wanting to jump through the screen to congratulate our graduates personally last year when we held the ceremony in hybrid mode. This time, I am glad that a flight is all it takes. Thirdly and most importantly, I am happy to be here to witness the graduation of the fourth consecutive cohort of our Advanced Master Programme. This is no mean feat: despite its short history, the Advanced Master Programme in Air Transport Management has won industry-wide accolade for its well-structured curriculum and top-notch teaching. Many of the Programme's graduates have gone on to play important roles in the civil aviation development of their respective countries, a testament to not just the Programme's prestige but also its high relevance to the real-world challenges that air transport managers face. I am thankful that talents from ever more places, including the Mainland, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Central Asia and South Asia, are benefitting from the Programme, and I believe that our expanding network of alumni well-versed in the industry's best practice taking charge of our aviation future will make it a bright one. We have the HKIAA and the ENAC to thank for the aforesaid achievements. I am of course biased here, but then I think I speak for all when I say that the ENAC has made the right decision in choosing the HKIAA and indeed Hong Kong as its partner. Hong Kong is not only blessed to be strategically located in the heart of Asia which underlies its excellent air connectivity with the rest of the world, but its expertise in airport management and aviation development is well-regarded. It is on the back of such unique edges that the HKIAA was established in 2016 to share Hong Kong's wealth of experience in air transport management with professionals round the globe, which in turn culminates in the alliance of strengths between the HKIAA and the ENAC over the Advanced Master Programme, as well as the hopes of the aviation industry embodied in our illustrious graduates today. The effort of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in promoting manpower training and development does not stop there. Not only do we support the HKIAA in launching a new internship programme within this year that allows young people in Hong Kong and the Mainland to be cross-posted to different airports in the Greater Bay Area, but we are also stepping up our investment in the Maritime and Aviation Training Fund, the different scholarships and incentive schemes under which have benefited budding aviation talents and existing practitioners in Hong Kong alike. Such initiatives are in step with the far-sighted airport development programme that the Government is pursuing with the Airport Authority Hong Kong, including the Three-Runway System and the transformation of our airport into an "Airport City". All these developments will entail greater demand for able hands, and I hope that some of you will join us in furthering Hong Kong's role as an international aviation hub. Air traffic is recovering by leaps and bounds, and I am convinced that the aviation industry is finally out of the woods. Nobody is better qualified than us to use this expression, but ladies and gentlemen, with the pandemic now behind us, only sky is the limit. So I congratulate all of our graduates on having won the ticket to this exciting prospect of aviation industry by successfully completing the Programme. I wish you best of luck in your future endeavours. Thank you.