A new policy simplifying immigration for international travelers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will create more business opportunities and promote the coordinated development of airports in the southern region, according to officials from the GBA.

The "Fly from Hong Kong via Zhuhai" policy, which took effect on Tuesday, allows travelers arriving at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport on the Chinese mainland to travel via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to Hong Kong International Airport to fly to overseas destinations without going through immigration in Hong Kong.

The same service applies in reverse, with people flying into Hong Kong from overseas being able to transfer to mainland cities via the HZMB and Zhuhai Airport without the need to undergo Hong Kong immigration procedures.

"The project not only provides more options for international travel, but also plays an active role in supporting the development of the GBA and the building of a world-class airport cluster by giving full play to the connecting role of the HZMB and taking advantage of the complementary resources of Hong Kong and Zhuhai airports," said Vivian Cheung Karfay, chief operating officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong.

While Hong Kong International Airport has direct connections with nearly 200 international destinations, Zhuhai Airport has air routes with nearly 90 mainland destinations.

To ensure smooth implementation of the policy, a designated channel has been set up at the checkpoint for inspection of passengers, said Lin Meihong, a senior border control official at the HZMB.

Shuttle bus services will be provided to travelers for transit flights. Mainland passengers traveling overseas will be able to board the bus at the Zhuhai Port of the HZMB after completing immigration and go directly to the Skypier Terminal of HKIA, where they will then head to the boarding gates of their flights.

Michael Yuen, general manager of hub development at AAHK, said that currently there is one bus running from the HZMB to HKIA every hour from 10 am to 7 pm, but the frequency of bus services will be increased in accordance with the number of travelers in the future.

The development of the aviation industry in the GBA is gaining momentum, with the 11-city cluster comprising nine Guangdong cities plus the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions ramping up efforts to build a world-class airport cluster to fuel business growth.