https://www.scmp.com/rss/523459/feed The latest news and top stories on the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), a governmental body and the civil aviation authority of Hong Kong, headquartered at Hong Kong International Airport. Its primary mission is to regulate and oversee civil aviation, ensuring a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. The CAD’s main activities include providing air traffic control services within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region, regulating flight safety standards and setting aerodrome security... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The latest power-bank restriction on air travellers comes less than a month after a major nighttime crash and rescue drill at Hong Kong airport in which an airliner’s take-off was aborted after smoke was reported coming from a passenger’s power bank. But that was a simulation, involving more than 1,000 personnel plus hundreds of volunteers, aimed at optimising airport emergency response. There was therefore no connection with the ban imposed without warning by the Airport Authority on Saturday... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348409/restriction-power-banks-flights-should-not-have-come-surprise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348409/restriction-power-banks-flights-should-not-have-come-surprise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:45:09 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Air passengers departing from Hong Kong have said they were unaware of a new rule limiting the number of power banks they can carry to two, with few reminder signs visible at the airport on the first day of its enforcement on Sunday. The concerns were raised after Hong Kong International Airport announced on Saturday night that departing passengers were restricted to carrying no more than two power banks each on flights. Citing new regulations from the International Civil Aviation Organization... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3348275/hong-kong-passengers-caught-guard-new-airport-limit-2-power-banks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3348275/hong-kong-passengers-caught-guard-new-airport-limit-2-power-banks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 04:24:51 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong authorities have received more than 100 applications for innovative drone usage to pioneer the city’s “low-altitude economy”, with some pilot projects set to launch as early as in three months, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also pledged to push more advanced transport technologies to transition from trials to everyday use in 2026. In a blog post on the Transport and Logistics Bureau’s website on Saturday, Chan said “the industry... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3347425/flying-start-low-altitude-economy-goals-100-drone-projects-proposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3347425/flying-start-low-altitude-economy-goals-100-drone-projects-proposed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:32:48 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong International Airport has staged a large-scale emergency drill to test its ability to respond to a major aircraft accident, with more than 1,000 personnel and hundreds of volunteers taking part. The annual aircraft crash and rescue exercise was held on the airport’s centre runway in the early hours of Tuesday, starting at 2.15am and concluding around four hours later. It simulated a departing flight forced to abort take-off after smoke was reported from a passenger’s power bank. In the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3345257/more-1000-personnel-volunteers-stage-emergency-drill-hong-kong-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3345257/more-1000-personnel-volunteers-stage-emergency-drill-hong-kong-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:38:10 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong plans to deploy large passenger-carrying drones within the next two to three years as part of its drive to become a regional hub for the low-altitude economy, a senior official has said, predicting the aircraft will be significantly cheaper than current helicopter services. Dominic Chow Wing-hang, deputy director general of civil aviation, outlined the road map on Saturday at a conference in Beijing, which focused on how Hong Kong and Macau could leverage their advantages to benefit... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3336372/hong-kong-aims-launch-passenger-carrying-drones-2-3-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3336372/hong-kong-aims-launch-passenger-carrying-drones-2-3-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 07:41:02 +0000 Denise Tsang Denise Tsang Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will step up diversification efforts to mitigate growing geopolitical risks that have “affected our business a lot”, its CEO has said, as the airline expands the group’s network to 103 destinations by the end of this year. During a visit to a pilot training centre in Adelaide, Australia, Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said the group also took a flexible approach to accommodating customers’ requests, such as ticket cancellations, in response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3334000/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-broadens-reach-regional-tensions-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3334000/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-broadens-reach-regional-tensions-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:30:10 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong rail operator the MTR Corporation is testing the use of drones for tasks such as tunnel inspections to slash the time to complete “repetitive” and “tedious” jobs. The tests, carried out in the tunnel from Admiralty to the Exhibition Centre station on the East Rail line, have been proceeding satisfactorily, according to the rail giant. It is also planning to apply to authorities to expand the tests to cover open sections of the line. The MTR said the trial was one of 38 “sandbox”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3330119/hong-kongs-mtr-corporation-testing-drones-railway-tunnels-cut-tedious-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3330119/hong-kongs-mtr-corporation-testing-drones-railway-tunnels-cut-tedious-work?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 02:00:09 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Hong Kong’s aviation industry will suffer greatly if the United States slaps export curbs on American-made critical software to the city, experts have warned. The sector relied heavily on this technology, making it nearly impossible to find alternative solutions, they said. US President Donald Trump earlier threatened to curb the export of “any and all critical software” to China amid escalating trade tensions between the two superpowers. Trump’s threat to impose restrictions followed Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329985/us-clamp-critical-software-could-cripple-hong-kong-aviation-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329985/us-clamp-critical-software-could-cripple-hong-kong-aviation-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:30:12 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong airport’s north runway has reopened but will remain on standby to support week-long efforts to salvage a crashed cargo plane that veered off its path and killed two security workers when it struck their vehicle. Monday’s incident was the fourth in 15 years to involve Turkish company ACT Airlines, which was operating the cargo flight for Emirates, with more than 30 people killed in a previous accident in 2017. An aviation expert said on Tuesday that it was not uncommon for an airline... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329764/hong-kong-runway-standby-day-after-emirates-plane-accident-crew-be-questioned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3329764/hong-kong-runway-standby-day-after-emirates-plane-accident-crew-be-questioned?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:45:00 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong quickly returned to normal on Monday afternoon as Severe Tropical Storm Tapah moved away after triggering the No 8 typhoon signal for nearly 16 hours, with 140 flights cancelled, school classes suspended and many people on flexible work arrangements. While the No 8 signal was in effect in the morning, HK Express flight UO235 was suspected to have hit signage boards at Hong Kong International Airport while taxiing on the north runway. None of the 137 passengers and crew members on board... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3324769/hong-kong-back-business-after-typhoon-tapah-disrupts-classes-140-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3324769/hong-kong-back-business-after-typhoon-tapah-disrupts-classes-140-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:07:35 +0000