The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA ) will acquire an equity stake in Zhuhai airport, the Chief Executive said in her policy address. Is this a good idea? Last year Zhuhai airport handled 12.3 million passengers, ranking 35th among airports in China and compared to 71.5 million at Hong Kong airport. It has 80 mainland routes and no international ones. Since 2006, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has managed Zhuhai airport through a management joint venture with the city government. The airport does not have a good location – Sanzao township, 37 kilometres from Zhuhai city centre and 33 km from Macao. It began as a military airport built by the Japanese in World War Two; planes that bombed Hong Kong during the invasion of December 1941 took off from there. British intelligence did not know of the airport because of its remoteness.