An MNG Airlines MoU targets stronger Hong Kong–Turkey cargo connectivity, while HKIA Consultancy will support work linked to the development of Navoi International Airport.
Hong Kong International Airport has signed new Belt and Road aviation agreements covering cargo cooperation with MNG Airlines and airport-development support linked to Navoi International Airport.
- HKIA exchanged a memorandum of understanding with MNG Airlines to deepen cargo connectivity, operational cooperation, sustainability work and aviation training.
- MNG Airlines currently operates eight to 10 freighter flights per week between Turkey and Hong Kong and intends to increase frequencies in response to demand.
- HKIA Consultancy and Harvest Epoch signed a separate agreement connected with the development of Navoi International Airport in Uzbekistan.
- As of March 2026, HKIA was connected to 78 airports in 41 Belt and Road countries and regions, while its cargo throughput reached 5.07 million tonnes in 2025.
(NEWS) HONG KONG, Hong Kong, 2026-Sep-09 — /Travel PR News/ — Hong Kong International Airport is extending its Belt and Road aviation strategy in two directions at once, pairing a cargo-connectivity agreement with Turkish freighter operator MNG Airlines with a separate cooperation deal linked to the development of Navoi International Airport in Uzbekistan.
The two documents were exchanged and signed at the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on September 9, 2026. While both sit under the same international-cooperation agenda, they address different parts of the aviation business: the MNG Airlines memorandum of understanding is focused on traffic, operations and skills, while the Uzbekistan agreement is designed to apply Hong Kong airport-management expertise to an overseas development project.
According to Airport Authority Hong Kong’s announcement, HKIA was connected to 78 destination airports in 41 Belt and Road countries and regions as of March 2026. Vivian Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the two agreements are intended to deepen those aviation links and reinforce Hong Kong’s international-hub role.
MNG Airlines agreement puts cargo capacity at the centre
Cheung exchanged the signed MoU with Ali Sedat Özkazanç, CEO of MNG Airlines, with Nicolas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road, witnessing the exchange. The two sides agreed to work on stronger air connectivity with HKIA, operational performance and service quality, management knowledge-sharing, sustainable development and talent training.
The training element will involve courses offered by the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy, extending the relationship beyond flight capacity into professional development and operating know-how.
Based at Istanbul Airport, MNG Airlines operates freighter services to more than 60 destinations across Europe, Asia and North America. HKIA says the carrier currently operates between eight and 10 freighter flights a week linking Turkey and Hong Kong and is aiming to raise frequencies as demand grows.
That makes the agreement commercially relevant to an airport whose global position is heavily tied to freight. HKIA handled 5.07 million tonnes of cargo in 2025 and was ranked the world’s busiest cargo airport for the 15th time since 2010. The momentum continued into 2026: AAHK reported that first-half cargo throughput rose 4.1% year on year to 2.5 million tonnes, with transshipment among the principal growth drivers.
Separate agreement takes HKIA expertise to Navoi
The second agreement shifts the emphasis from adding flights to airport development. Hong Kong International Airport Consultancy Limited and Harvest Epoch Strategic (International) Investment Limited signed a cooperation agreement connected with the development of Navoi International Airport in Uzbekistan.
The document was signed by Simon Li, CEO of HKIA Consultancy, and Yip Koon Shing, Chief Strategic Officer of Harvest Epoch. The signing was witnessed by Nicolas Ho; Alisher Klichev, Director of Navoi International Airport; Vivian Cheung; and Hermas Tang, Principal Advisor, Aviation Logistics at Harvest Epoch.
AAHK describes Navoi as a key Belt and Road aviation hub and says the cooperation will draw on HKIA’s airport-management and operational experience to support the development project. Navoi International Airport is part of the network overseen by Uzbekistan Airports, the state airport operator responsible for the country’s international airports.
One strategy, two forms of aviation cooperation
The two agreements illustrate the different ways an airport operator can extend its international influence. With MNG Airlines, the immediate opportunity is operational and network-based: more freighter capacity, closer coordination and training around an established Turkey–Hong Kong cargo flow. In Uzbekistan, the focus is institutional, using consultancy and operating expertise in support of an airport-development programme.
For HKIA, the combination fits a wider effort to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as both an air-cargo gateway and a source of aviation-management expertise. The airport’s cargo scale gives the MNG partnership a strong commercial base, while the Navoi agreement creates a channel for exporting knowledge beyond Hong Kong’s own terminals and runways.
Neither agreement, as announced, sets a timetable for additional MNG frequencies or specifies the scope, investment value or completion schedule for the Navoi development work. Those details will be important in determining how quickly the summit agreements translate into new capacity and operational changes.
