Hong Kong Express Airways announced its formal establishment on Wednesday evening.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang attended a reception marking the founding of the new Hong Kong-based airline.

He said it is a great pleasure to celebrate the launch of Hong Kong Express -- a new Hong Kong-based airline that will provide multiple daily services between Hong Kong and various cities in the Chinese mainland.

He said "we all know that running an airline is a very capital-intensive undertaking. So, the launch of this new airline is a great vote of confidence in the future of our economy, and in the status of Hong Kong as a regional and international aviation hub."

Tsang added that Hong Kong's aviation policy encourages the entry of new players. "Our highly regarded Hong Kong International Airport provides 'best in the world' support for the efficient operation of airlines," he said.

"The strategy to focus on mainland destinations will further strengthen Hong Kong's ability to provide seamless connections to our comprehensive international network. This in turn will strengthen our position as one of the most efficient gateways to the Mainland," he said.

He said, with strong economic growth and increasing travel demand, the Chinese mainland is widely recognized as the dominant source of global air traffic growth over the next decade.

Tsang said he believed that the launching of Hong Kong Express will bring new jobs to Hong Kong. Newly created jobs range from positions in management, flight crew, maintenance staff to cabin attendants and cleaners. These jobs will broaden employment opportunities for Hong Kong people, and help to consolidate the recovery of Hong Kong's job market.

The Express Airway, targeting business travelers, will provide air service from mid September between Hong Kong and Guangdong. From the fourth quarter of this year to 2006, the airline will launch services to Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chongqing, Ningbo and some other places of the Mainland.

The airline has introduced Embraer 170 for its services and plans to add more planes in the coming years, in a bid to expand its aviation network in the Chinese mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2005)