A RAIL connection between Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports was among issues discussed between visiting Shenzhen officials and their Hong Kong counterparts yesterday.

The two cities clinched a deal on further cooperation between the Shenzhen and Hong Kong airports, which covers infrastructure construction and shuttle services.

According to the agreement, the two sides will set up a joint task force to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two airports and increase the competitiveness of the two cities.

Specific plans for a rail connection between Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports will be formulated early next year, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said earlier this month while visiting Shenzhen.

She toured Shenzhen International Airport on Dec. 4 and met with Shenzhen Vice Mayor Zhang Siping to discuss the setting up of a joint task force.

The task force will explore the feasibility of a railway line connecting the two airports and other areas of cooperation to enable the airports to fully complement each other.

The project was part of a package to boost ties between the two cities promised by Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang in his annual policy address in October.

The Hong Kong airport ranks among the world’s busiest international airports in terms of passengers and cargo while the Shenzhen airport handles far more domestic flights than Hong Kong.

Shenzhen is used by mainlanders as a transit hub to Hong Kong. Of the 13.6 million mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong last year, 3 million entered the SAR via the Shenzhen airport.

The Shenzhen airport currently operates 132 routes, of which 102 are domestic, covering about 70 cities in the country. The Hong Kong airport services about 150 destinations of which 40 are mainland cities.

Flight fares from Shenzhen to inland cities are between 30 and 60 percent cheaper than from Hong Kong. (Li Jing)