By LIANG TAO, CRI Correspondent

Asia-Pacific's first Airport Cities World Conference & Exhibition has been launched at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, offering a platform for high-level executives to exchange views and share strategies on the development of airport cities.

The two-day conference will see about 280 senior executives and top management from 40 airports worldwide discuss how airport cities contribute to the regional and global economies.

It will also see the largest participation of top officials and senior management of the Mainland's aviation industry in the event, including the General Administration of Civil Aviation and 17 airports such as Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Hong Kong Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer David Pang said the global aviation conference, formerly held in Dubai, Pittsburgh, Orlando and Rome, reinforces Hong Kong's status as an international and regional transport hub, and gateway to the Mainland.

He said leading airports in the world have been undergoing rapid and fundamental changes over the past decade and are no longer simply infrastructure for passengers to embark and disembark.