Chief Executive John Lee on Thursday said Hong Kong had taken a major step forward in its goal to become Asia's first aircraft recycling and parts trading centre by setting up an aircraft engineering training centre. The centre, run by the Airport Authority's Hong Kong International Aviation Academy, will start offering programmes in the next few months in partnership with the aeronautical services company Elior Group from France, which is setting up its Asian headquarters in the SAR. Lee said the centre would be tasked with ensuring a steady supply of aircraft maintenance mechanics and engineers that would go a long way towards helping the SAR become the region's leading aviation hub and creating job and business opportunities. "In achieving that goal, we will drive the development of related industries, as well as including trade, insurance, finance, leasing and more, creating new job opportunities and long-term economic benefits for Hong Kong," he said at the centre's launching ceremony. "In securing the supply stability of aircraft parts for maintenance, we will ensure the long-term growth of the aviation industry in Hong Kong." Lee went on to say that both the Elior Group and the academy had international expertise and that the programmes on offer would meet global benchmarks and industry needs. The academy's president, Simon Li, cited a recent Boeing human resources study that indicated the global aviation industry would need more than 700,000 technicians in the next two decades. He said the centre could help meet the demand for more technicians. It plans to take in 300 students in the next couple of years. Li expressed hope that most of them would be local talents, adding that it was also seeking to train people from the mainland as well as Southeast Asian countries to build up the professional talent pool for the world.