First chairman of Hong Kong’s Airport Authority Wong Po-yan dies, aged 96
- Wong was instrumental in construction of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok and was also a legislative councillor
- Having made his name as a plastics entrepreneur, Wong would later become a businessman trusted by Beijing in run-up to 1997 handover
![Wong Po-yan, pictured with an artist’s impression of the future Hong Kong International Airport, upon being named chairman of the Airport Authority in November 1995. Photo: SCMP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/methode/2019/07/23/25dc8054-ad27-11e9-a61f-bc570b50c4e7_image_hires_191816.jpg?itok=xsN0uDne&v=1563880702)
Hong Kong’s first Airport Authority chairman Wong Po-yan died in the early hours on Monday, aged 96.
His son David Wong Yau-kar, chairman of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, said his father had been suffering from illnesses common in old age and died at a local hospital.
He said his father died peacefully in the company of family members.
“My elder brother and I are in Hong Kong. My two elder sisters, who live overseas, rushed back to say goodbye to him,” he said.
On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed sorrow over Wong’s death.
“Renowned for his leadership, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, laying a solid foundation for the development of Hong Kong International Airport as the global aviation hub that it is today,” Lam said.
![loading](https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/media/wheel-on-gray.af4a55f9.gif)