Speaking at a media briefing in Geneva, the head of the international body IATA, Willie Walsh, described Hong Kong's recovery as "stronger than expected" -- a promising outlook he attributed to increased cooperation between Hong Kong-based airlines and others in the Greater Bay Area. It was also revealed that worldwide air traffic had reached 98.2 percent of pre-Covid levels in October, although international flights are taking longer to recover.

Also in aviation news, China's homegrown C919 and ARJ 21 jets are to be showcased at Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday -- the first time that the two passenger aircraft have been flown outside of the mainland's airspace. There's also a low fly-past over Victoria Harbour scheduled for 10:30am next Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific has just welcomed its first batch of partially locally trained pilot graduates, in a move analysts say is part of the airline's goal to localise its workforce.

So what does this all mean for the future of aviation in Hong Kong? Is 2024 poised to be an auspicious year for the sector?

After 9:45, we'll talk about the mainland’s removal of tourist visa requirements for six nationalities, and 25 percent visa fee cuts kicking off today.

9:05am-9:45am: Aviation performance forecasts and China's homegrown C919 aircraft's HK visit

9:05am-9:45am: Roy Ying, Co-Chair (Advocacy and Policy Research Committee), Hong Kong Institute of Human Resources Management

9:05am-9:45am: Steven Cheung, Steven Cheung, Founding Chairman of the Hong Kong Professional Airline Pilots Association and Chairman of private jet operator Seaplane Hong Kong

9:05am-9:45am: Achim Czerny, Associate Professor at the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University


9:45am-10:00am: Mainland China's relaxation of visa policies

9:45am-10:00am: Joseph Gregory Mahoney, Professor of Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University (Shanghai)