The Civil Aviation Department today said it has implemented or plans to implement measures in relation to the Ombudsman's direct investigation report into the regulation of paragliding activities.

Thanking the Ombusdman for the report, the department noted that out of the eight recommendations, it has implemented or plans to implement measures regarding four of them - provision of detailed case analysis to Police on complaints related to paragliding, enhanced inspections, law enforcement and publicity.

The department added that it will continue to work closely with Police, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department to step up patrols and law enforcement.

It will also continue to liaise closely with local paragliding organisations to enhance the safety awareness on paragliding and safeguard aviation safety through education and publicity.

Pointing out that the current civil aviation legislation is aimed at regulating civil aircraft rather than paragliding activities, the Civil Aviation Department said that for the four other recommendations involving policy and legislative amendments, it will review the issues involved and the feasibility of these recommendations with the bureaus concerned.

As early as the 1990s, the department listed out site boundaries, operating altitudes and relevant guidance for paragliding activities in the Aeronautical Information Publication.

In view of the growing popularity of paragliding in Hong Kong and its potential impact on aviation safety, the department took the initiative to review the regulatory regime of paragliding in 2018.

The Safety Guidance on Paragliding Activities was published to further enhance the safety of the activities after a consultation with local stakeholders and taking reference from the experiences of other places where the activities are popular.

The guidance stipulates that any offer of air service performed by paragliders for hire or reward requires a permit granted by the Director-General of Civil Aviation.