New C919 service shows up urgent need for engineers

Ayra Wang

Hong Kong can recruit engineers through the city's talent schemes or working visas to support the maintenance of the mainland's homemade C919 aircraft, according to Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan Mei-bo.

Her comments follow the C919's inaugural commercial flight on January 1 outside the mainland as part of a regular service between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Currently, there is only one licensed engineer in Hong Kong qualified to maintain and repair the C919, according to industry sources.

Chan said yesterday the Civil Aviation Department has been sending engineers to the mainland for training.

"However, we still need additional manpower in the short term, and we can recruit more talent from outside Hong Kong through existing talent schemes," she said.

Chan also said that in 2021, the department signed a joint maintenance management cooperation agreement with Macau and mainland civil aviation authorities.

This arrangement allows holders of maintenance licenses from any of the three jurisdictions to work on aircraft across the region.

"I believe this will help meet the increasing demand for aircraft maintenance workers in the future," she added.

Chan described the deployment of the C919 as "a significant opportunity," as the aircraft requires the city as a platform to enter the global market, opening up potential business avenues.

"Typically, an aircraft manufacturer sets up a subsidiary to create a financing and leasing platform for international market entry," she said.

"Hong Kong, as an offshore yuan business hub with aircraft leasing tax incentives, will attract domestic aircraft producers to set up headquarters here."

This influx is expected to draw in talent across various sectors, including finance and law.

Chan added that aircraft leasing and manufacturing will be essential markets amid expectations of a global passenger increase of 6.1 percent over the next 20 years, with Chinese passenger numbers rising by 11.4 percent.

"This growth will generate demand for an additional 42,000 planes, 20 percent of which will be delivered to China," she said.

Additionally, the airport saw a peak of 1,150 flights a day during the Christmas holiday, returning to pre-pandemic levels.

The average daily passenger volume exceeded 180,000, with the peak reaching 190,000 passengers on December 21.

Chan said the Airport Authority will proactively increase flight availability while the bureau remains open to removing restrictions, thereby expanding Hong Kong's aviation network.