HK Express livery design competition sees teen winners jet off to Japan, fulfilling their childhood dreams of flight
More than 70 budding young artists take part in contest that sought to reach out to city’s underprivileged
With hot-air balloons, flying helmets and a pair of hands in the shape of a bird, Chan Pak-fung used all the images of flight his mind could muster to dream up an aircraft livery design, even though the teenager had never taken a plane in his life.
“I imagined looking closely at what the sky is like when I painted it, and how it feels to fly,” says the 18-year-old, who comes from a low-income Hong Kong family.
Chan says he fantasises about aircraft, and his imagination runs wild every time he hears classmates talking about their experiences of travelling by plane, or showing photos of a trip.
But his dreams are about to become a reality. Chan will finally get on a plane and visit Japan – a place that has inspired his art and design – along with five other teenagers from local underprivileged families.
The secondary school pupils will begin their five-day trip on July 4, after they won budget airline Hong Kong Express’ aircraft livery design competition to devise an idea for a “happy journey”.