Cathay Engages Hong Kong Students with Inaugural Aviation Quiz Amid Workforce Challenges

Cathay recently hosted its inaugural Inter-School Aviation Challenge Cup on January 25, 2026, at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. This exciting live competition brought together secondary school students from across the city, aiming to inspire a deeper interest in the aviation industry among youth.

Christian Alliance S. C. Chan Memorial College triumphed as the first champion after navigating four preliminary rounds followed by a final match. The winning team secured a spot in the Cathay I Can Fly Youth Academy and is set to enjoy a trip to Adelaide, focused on aviation education and cultural exchange.

“We are incredibly thrilled to be the winners,” the team expressed after the event. “It feels surreal, and we’re proud of the hard work that led us here.”

The competition’s structure melded traditional quiz formats with hands-on aircraft construction challenges for teams that didn’t advance to the finals. St. Joseph’s College claimed victory in the plate competition, which evaluated participants based on aircraft performance, design, structure, and teamwork.

From Online Platform to Live Competition

The 16 participating schools qualified via AeroQuiz, a web-based platform for aviation knowledge co-created by Cathay and the Hong Kong Youth Aviation Academy in June 2025. Those with the highest average scores on AeroQuiz earned their place in the live event.

Since its launch, the AeroQuiz platform has engaged over 760 participants, with more than 200 secondary school students from around 90 schools in Hong Kong. It remains accessible to the general public as well as dedicated secondary school users.

Finalists not securing the championship received round-trip flight tickets to various Asian destinations within Cathay’s network, along with flight simulator experiences. Additionally, the top three teams were granted priority access to the next iteration of the I Can Fly Youth Academy.

Captain Lawrence Wong, Chief Flight Standards at the Civil Aviation Department, attended as a guest of honor and underscored the industry’s need for skill development.

“The Cathay Inter-School Aviation Challenge Cup creates a valuable platform for youth to expand their understanding of aviation through reading and interactive quizzes,” Wong stated, emphasizing the foundation it builds for those aspiring to enter the civil aviation sector.

Broader Youth Engagement Strategy

This competition is part of Cathay’s extensive efforts to engage youth, with a focus that has evolved over the past two decades. Launched in 2003, the I Can Fly program has become the airline’s cornerstone initiative for youth engagement.

In 2025 alone, the program impacted approximately 1,400 young individuals in Hong Kong, an important outreach in light of demographic challenges affecting the workforce. Concerns over an aging population and declining birth rates pose risks to sustaining talent in specialized fields like aviation.

Lavinia Lau, Cathay’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, who hosted the event, reiterated the airline’s commitment to making aviation education “more engaging, accessible, and rewarding” for young people.

“Our initiatives, including AeroQuiz and CISACC, help young individuals gain confidence, broaden their perspectives, and pursue their dreams,” Lau remarked.

Plans to expand this competition into the Greater Bay Area are underway, with a vision for an annual format that encourages schools to qualify through the AeroQuiz platform again in the future. The next CISACC edition is scheduled for later in 2026 as a defendable cup.

Industry-Wide Collaboration

The Civil Aviation Department collaborates with local airlines, the Government Flying Service, training institutions, and youth aviation groups to nurture talent across various aviation sectors, including flying, engineering, and management.

Captain Patrick Lau, Chairman of the Hong Kong Youth Aviation Academy, and other industry representatives were present at the event, showcasing a united effort towards youth development within aviation.

As Cathay celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2026, the airline has indicated plans for more community initiatives and partnerships, although specific details are yet to be unveiled.

AeroQuiz, CISACC, and the I Can Fly program together form what Cathay describes as “an interconnected suite of youth development initiatives,” all geared toward cultivating the next generation of aviation professionals in Hong Kong.

For the 16 teams that participated in the inaugural competition, this event served as both an assessment of their aviation expertise and a possible gateway into a profession that is continuously on the lookout for fresh talent. What are your thoughts on encouraging youth involvement in aviation?