An 8-magnitude earthquake, the most devastating in three decades, struck Sichuan Province and nearby areas on 12 May, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving even more people injured, homeless or missing.

The Airport Authority took immediate action by drawing HK$1 million from its charity fund and inviting staff members to make contribution to help the earthquake victims. The 1,100 staff members have raised HK$750,000. Meanwhile, over 180 airport retailers and restaurants joined in to donate part of their sales proceeds made between 16 and 18 May to help the victims. In addition, charity lunch and dinner were arranged by the Airport World Trade Centre Club on 22 and 23 May. All these efforts raised a total of HK$4.27 million in a week's time. The collected money went to Hong Kong Red Cross China Relief Fund and the Liaison Offi ce of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – Special Account for Disaster Relief to support the rescue efforts in Sichuan and help the quake victims rebuild their lives.

CEO Stanley Hui sent his condolences to the earthquake victims and their families. He thanked the airport community's generous donation and believed that every dollar would help the survivors of this disaster rebuild their lives.