Hong Kong Speech Tender

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology Mr Nicholas W Yang at the opening ceremony of Smart Airport - Technovation Conference and Exhibition 2018 November 28Jack Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong AA Mr Jack So Fred Chief Executive Officer of the AA Mr Fred Lam distinguished guests friends ladies and gentlemenGood morning. I am extremely delighted to join you all here today at the Technovation Conference and Exhibition 2018. First I would like to extend a warm welcome to our prestigious guests speakers industry practitioners and exhibitors from around the world who form the core of the event today.In fact this is my second time joining the opening of this annual event of the Airport Authority Hong Kong. Since the setting up of the Innovation and Technology Bureau in November 2015 I attended the Technovation Conference in 2016 and my Permanent Secretary attended in 2017. The Innovation and Technology Bureau is a staunch supporter of the Technovation Conference not only because it echoes our work to make Hong Kong a smarter city the conference also helps to build a more vibrant ecosystem for Hong Kong talents to shine and thrive further with our robust fundamentals in city management.In 2018 the Hong Kong International Airport was voted and ranked among the top five of the worlds Best 100 Airports. Our Hong Kong airport is also one of the busiest airports serving over 120 airlines and operating flights to over 220 global destinations. Our air cargo throughput continues to be number one in the world reaching over 5 million tonnes in 2017.Embracing innovation and technology is critical to improving the passenger experience and operational efficiency for airports. As I mentioned before our airport has been consistently ranked top globally. I would say we did it because Airport Authority Hong Kong recognises the importance of the changes brought by digital transformation and proactively upgrades itself using cutting edge technologies.To enhance user experience the Airport Authority Hong Kong has developed its official mobile app HKG My Flight which provides passengers with personalised information including real-time flight information and boarding alerts. With iBeacon technology providing data about walking routes passenger location and flow together with augmented reality technology international users can navigate within the terminals of our airport easily. MyTAG which notifies passengers when their luggage arrives at the baggage claim carousel helps reduce stress for travellers when waiting to collect their luggage.Furthermore Airport Authority Hong Kong has collaborated with our publicly funded RD centres such as the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute and Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech RD Centre to adopt innovative home-grown technologies in its operation. Using IoT technology Real-time Trolley Supply Monitoring System has been deployed for maintaining steady supply of trolleys. This system won a gold medal at the 2018 International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. Barcode Radio-frequency Identification RFID scanner that allows passengers to print luggage tags at home and then check-in luggage themselves has already been widely adopted by 31 airlines. RFID and video analytics are also adopted in baggage sorting and reconciliation to improve operational efficiency.The Airport Authority Hong Kong also partners with local technology start-ups and puts innovative proposals for trials. These include driverless tractor queuing sensors and the use of facial recognition for check-in boarding pass checkpoints and boarding control. During my visit to the Hong Kong International Airport last December I saw how high-speed imaging technology coupled with big data analytics is applied for precise and efficient inspection of airfield ground lighting. This award-winning system is developed by a local technology company at Hong Kong Science Park. Through collaboration with local RD institutions and technology start-ups the Hong Kong International Airport can continue to outperform its counterparts in other cities.