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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

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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

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.

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