Aviation support service operators at Hong Kong International Airport can apply for an anti-epidemic subsidy via the Airport Authority from today, the Government announced.

After vetting the applications, the authority will disburse a one-off subsidy between $3 million and $8 million depending on company size.

Eligible aviation support service operators should be licensees or franchisees of, or holders of operating permits issued by the authority. Furthermore, their businesses have to be adversely impacted by the drop in passenger traffic at the airport during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government explained that the airport’s passenger throughput had declined by 98% in the period from January to November 2021 compared with the same period in 2019, significantly hitting the passenger aviation industry, especially aviation support service operators whose businesses are highly dependent on passenger traffic.

In view of this, it is providing the subsidy under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund to help the industry through this difficult time.