Asia-Pacific Aerospace Briefs Today
November 18th 2025
Today’s briefs report news from Air Côte d’Ivoire, Airport Authority Hong Kong, Avolon, Boeing, Cathay Pacific, CFM International, China Eastern Airlines, Dubai Airshow, Embraer, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Helvetic Airways, Lufthansa Systems, SATS, Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Company Limited, ST Engineering and Vietnam Airlines. Read More »
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has launched a "Park & Fly" initiative allowing travellers from Guangdong Province and Macau to drive over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to a car park next to Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA), drop their car and head to the airport for their flight without needing to clear Hong Kong border controls. "In addition to cross-boundary high-speed ferries, buses, and high-speed rail, ‘Park & Fly’ provides another option for travellers from Guangdong and Macao that brings the airport right to their doorsteps," AAHK chair Fred Lam, said.
Cathay Pacific said its 8th annual hackathon, held last weekend, set a new participation record with 36 teams of university students selected from more than 1,900 applications and 12 staff member teams selected from 200 applications. The winning student team, Kairos Takeoff Crew, presented an idea for an all-in-one customer journey platform for HK Express customers. The winning staff member team, FlyLab, presented an AI-powered solution delivering concise, pre-flight briefing summaries for pilots. "This Hackathon was more than a competition; it was a vibrant community of innovators and aviation enthusiasts, united by a shared mission to shape the future of travel," Cathay director for digital and IT, Lawrence Fong, said.
ST Engineering has sold its 49% stake in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider, Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Company Limited (STARCO) to China Eastern Airlines (CEA). The two companies established STARCO as a joint-venture in 2004. ST Engineering said it expected to book a one-off gain of S$48.1 million (US$37 million) from the divestment, expected to close in the next few months. "The partners have agreed to conclude their partnership to focus on their own growth plans," ST Engineering said. "Even after factoring in the rationalisation of STARCO and taking into account the ongoing airframe MRO capacity expansion projects in Singapore, China and the U.S., the Group’s total capacity remains higher than pre-COVID levels, ensuring continued ability to meet customer MRO demand."
Airport services provider, SATS, has reported net profit of S$78.9 million (US$61 million) for the three months to September 30 2025, up 13.3% from net profit of S$69.7 million in the same three months in 2024. Revenue rose 8.4% to S$1.6 billion, SATS said in a regulatory filing. "While volumes were strong, we recognise that the quarter benefited in part from front-loading ahead of tariff changes," SATS CEO, Kerry Mok, said. "We are actively managing our capacity and resources as demand patterns evolve."
Vietnam Airlines has selected Lufthansa Systems’ Lido Flight 4D to support its flight planning operations. The adoption of Lido Flight 4D built on Vietnam Airlines’ existing use of other Lido products such as Lido mPilot, Lido FMS and Lido AMDB.
In news from the Dubai Airshow overnight:
Lessor Avolon ordered 100 LEAP-1A engineers from CFM International for 50 A320neo family aircraft in its order book.
Boeing received a top-up order from Emirates Airline for 65 777-9X aircraft. The additional aircraft lifted Emirates’ total orders for the 777X family of aircraft to 205 airplanes.
Ethiopian Airlines announced a commitment to purchase 11 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Boeing.
Embraer received an order for four E175s from Air Côte d’Ivoire, with deliveries to begin in the second half of 2027, as well as an order for three E195-E2s from Helvetic Airways alongside purchase rights for five more of the type.
