Transit passengers who arrive at Hong Kong International Airport via a new cross-boundary ferry service for direct onward travel by air will be exempted from the Air Passenger Departure Tax following the opening of the new airport cross-boundary ferry terminal on Monday.

The order, under the APDT Ordinance (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2003, was published in the Gazette today and takes immediate effect.

Under the existing ordinance, direct transit and connecting airside transit passengers are exempt from the Air Passenger Departure Tax. It is consistent with Government policy to exempt from the tax all transit passengers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport by cross-boundary ferry.

The arrangement will assist and encourage passengers from the Mainland and Macau to make use of the airport and further Hong Kong's development as a regional and international aviation hub.