Editing Government Flying Service (section)

== History ==
The Government Flying Service was established on 1 April 1993, when Hong Kong was under [[Colonial Hong Kong|British rule]].<ref name="Facts"/> It then took over all the non-military operations of the [[Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force]] (RHKAAF), which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom [[Royal Air Force]]. After Hong Kong was [[transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|handed over]] to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the GFS remained as a government unit of the [[Special Administrative Region (People's Republic of China)|Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]], and is responsible for [[search and rescue]] (SAR), [[air ambulance]], [[firefighting]], and police operations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2020/12/22/us-blacklists-hong-kongs-govt-flying-service-citing-human-rights-abuses-and-national-security-concerns/ |title=US blacklists Hong Kong's Gov't Flying Service, citing human rights abuses and national security concerns |date=22 December 2020}}</ref>

Starting in 2012, the GFS operates from the HKCEC heliport, adjacent to Golden Bauhinia Square.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Government Flying Service - News - The HKCEC Heliport will be put into service starting from 28 May 2012 2012-05-28 |url=https://www.gfs.gov.hk/en/publication-press-release/news/index-id-9.html |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=www.gfs.gov.hk}}</ref> The site is also open to commercial traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil Aviation Department - Heliports and Helicopter Services |url=https://www.cad.gov.hk/english/commercial_helicopter.html |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=www.cad.gov.hk}}</ref>

In August 2020, a GFS Bombardier Challenger 605 maritime patrol aircraft was believed to have assisted Chinese authorities in intercepting 12 Hong Kongers who were attempting to flee to [[Taiwan]] due to increasingly onerous conditions in Hong Kong and enhanced exit controls. The Hong Kong government denied that they had cooperated with Chinese authorities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=James |last2=Cheung |first2=Eric |title=Hong Kong government accused of colluding with China to surveil and catch fugitives fleeing for Taiwan |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/09/asia/hong-kong-china-fugitives-intl-hnk/index.html |website=www.cnn.com |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=9 October 2020}}</ref> On December 21, 2020, the United States Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Export Administration Regulations by adding a new ‘Military End User' (MEU) List, as well as the first tranche of 103 entities, which includes 58 Chinese and 45 Russian companies. Government Flying Service was added as one of 103 entities to the MEU List.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2017-2021.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/12/commerce-department-will-publish-first-military-end-user-list-naming.html/ |title=Commerce Department Will Publish the First Military End User List Naming More Than 100 Chinese and Russian Companies |website=[[U.S. Department of Commerce]]|date=14 January 2021 }}</ref>

In 2022, a new site at the southernmost corner of the former Kai Tak airport was opened, featuring one landing/takeoff pad, two parking pads, one repair hangar for the new Airbus H175 helicopter and an operations/office building.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mak |first1=George |last2=Lo |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Lam |first3=Rom |date=2023-02-01 |title=Delivering a new helicopter base at Kai Tak for the Hong Kong Government Flying Service |url=https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/10.1680/jcien.22.00117 |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering |language=en |volume=176 |issue=1 |pages=33–39 |doi=10.1680/jcien.22.00117 |issn=0965-089X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The site had been earmarked since 2007 and planning permission was given in 2017 as part of the area's redevelopment,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Task Force on Kai Tak Harbourfront Development, Harbourfront Commission |author-link=Development Bureau |date=5 April 2017 |title=Amendments Incorporated in the Draft Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan No. S/K22/5 |url=https://www.hfc.org.hk/filemanager/files/TFKT_07_2017.pdf |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=Harbourfront Commission}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Harbourfront Commission |author-link=Development Bureau |last2=Ove Arup |author-link2=Ove Arup |last3=Civil Engineering and Development Department |author-link3=Civil Engineering and Development Department |date=8 April 2017 |title=Proposed Establishment of Government Flying Service Kai Tak Division |url=https://www.hfc.org.hk/filemanager/files/TFKT_20170908ppt_item6.pdf |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=Harbourfront Commission}}</ref> as well as limitations of new high rise buildings in the [[Tung Chung]] area near the existing base affecting marginal weather operations. The possibility of opening the base to commercial cross-boundary traffic has been raised since 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Task Force on Kai Tak Harbourfront Development, Harbourfront Commission |author-link=Development Bureau |date=3 August 2011 |title=Cross-boundary Heliport in the Kai Tak Development Area |url=https://www.hfc.org.hk/filemanager/files/TFKT_16_2011.pdf |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=Harbourfront Commission}}</ref>