CE inspects clean-up work at Lunar New Year Fair site and visits airport staff (with photos/video)

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited staff members on duty at the site of the Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair and the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) this morning (February 5) to express her gratitude for their dedication to duties in serving the public during the Chinese New Year.

     As in last year, Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, inspected clean-up work at the site of the Victoria Park Lunar New Year Fair this morning and visited staff members of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department on duty to thank for their hard work during the holiday. She also expressed her gratitude to volunteers from the department for delivering pots of flowers and plants donated by fair vendors to the homes for the elderly and hospitals, showing support for environmental protection and sharing festive joy with other people.

     Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing, Dr Raymond So Wai-man, the Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), Mr Jack So and the Chief Executive Officer of the AAHK, Mr Fred Lam, then attended the Chinese New Year festive activities at the HKIA, during which she exchanged New Year greetings with members of the public who were departing Hong Kong and travellers who had just arrived at the city. Mrs Lam also visited frontline officers of the Immigration Department and the Customs and Excise Department to express her appreciation for their devotion to duty during the holiday, providing efficient services to a large number of travellers during the Lunar New Year period.

     Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong is an aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific Region and in the world, in which the HKIA has been playing an important role. She noted that the Civil Aviation Department had set a new single-day record of handling 2 467 flights just days ago, while the HKIA's three air traffic categories reached new annual heights in 2018 with 74.7 million passengers, 427,725 flight movements and 5.1 million tonnes of total cargo throughput handled. She said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to work together with the AAHK to further strengthen Hong Kong's leading position as the international aviation and cargo hub.

     On her return trip, Mrs Lam went to a home for the elderly in Tsz Wan Shan to visit the 98-year-old Uncle Fook. Mrs Lam met Uncle Fook during her tenure as the Director of Social Welfare and had visited him during the Chinese New Year over the years to send festive greetings to him. She also presented mandarin oranges to other elderly residents there and conveyed her well wishes to them.

     In the evening, Mrs Lam will attend the Chinese New Year night parade organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in Tsim Sha Tsui to join members of the public to celebrate the Lunar New Year.