Qatar Airways Cargo Opens Hong Kong Office, Signs MOU to Boost Air Connectivity and Cooperation with Airport Authority

2026-08-19 18:00 Last Updated At：18:23

AAHK and Qatar Airways Cargo sign MOU to strengthen co-operation on air connectivity and aviation development

Qatar Airways Cargo today (August 19) opened its air cargo regional office in Hong Kong and signed with the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) theMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Airport Authority Hong Kong and Qatar Airways Cargo on Strengthening Cooperation on Air Connectivity and Aviation Development to enhance co-operation on air connectivity and aviation development.

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AAHK and Qatar Airways Cargo sign MOU to strengthen co-operation on air connectivity and aviation development Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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AAHK and Qatar Airways Cargo sign MOU to strengthen co-operation on air connectivity and aviation development Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, attended the opening ceremony and witnessed the signing of the MOU. She said, "I am delighted to welcome Qatar Airways Cargo's setting up of a regional office in Hong Kong, which fully reflects the airline's confidence in and recognition of Hong Kong as an international aviation hub. Hong Kong and Qatar have long enjoyed a profound foundation of collaboration in aviation. The MOU signed today is of great strategic significance and will bring the partnership between the two places to new heights."

Ms Chan added that this powerful alliance with Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world's busiest cargo airport, and Qatar Airways Cargo, a leading global carrier, will foster greater synergies in promoting seamless global cargo flows. She also revealed at the ceremony that a local airline will announce tomorrow (August 20) details of its newly launched flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan, further expanding Hong Kong's global air network. She noted that the capacity of HKIA has substantially increased following the commissioning of the Three-Runway System (3RS). Capitalising on the opportunities brought by the 3RS and the country's support for the "Air Silk Road", the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will continue to forge closer ties in air services with global aviation partners, with priority focus on regions with further development potential and new growth areas, such as South America, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Senior Vice President Cargo Sales of Qatar Airways Cargo, Mr Eric Wilson, commended HKIA as Asia's premier air cargo hub with world-class infrastructure, exceptional handling efficiency and a strategic location. "By establishing our regional office in Hong Kong and deepening our partnership with the AAHK, the group is perfectly positioned to leverage Hong Kong's strengths to further connect the global network with the vibrant markets of Asia and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," he said.

The MOU will enable HKIA to capture greater cargo flow tonnage, while leveraging the capacity of Qatar Airways Cargo to enhance connectivity with markets with development potential, such as destinations in South America, thereby further expanding HKIA's global aviation network. The MOU also covers co-operation in advancing operational excellence and service enhancement, as well as supporting sustainability and talent development.

The HKSAR Government has been committed to promoting the long-term development of the aviation industry. To further consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub, the Civil Aviation Department has announced the extension of exemption measures related to non-scheduled cargo flights, and has been encouraging airlines to increase the flight frequency of scheduled cargo services and open up new cargo routes. Meanwhile, the Government will continue to work closely with the AAHK to expand the aviation network to seize growth opportunities in the markets.

Hong Kong Delegation Prepares for Shanghai Open Data Challenge 2026, Aiming for Innovation and Collaboration.

DPO holds Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2026 Send-off Ceremony for Hong Kong delegation

The Digital Policy Office today (August 19) held the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2026 Send-off Ceremony for the Hong Kong delegation. Addressing the event, the Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Daniel Cheung, highlighted the vast prospects for collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai in digital economy and the application of data elements. He also extended his blessings to the Hong Kong teams to excel in the upcoming Final Judging in Shanghai and win honour for Hong Kong.

The competition has received an enthusiastic response this year, attracting over 70 individual and team entries, almost doubling that of the previous edition. Following the first judging, 12 teams from various enterprises and institutions in Hong Kong have advanced to the Final Judging. These finalists will depart for Shanghai on August 24 to compete alongside finalist teams from Shanghai, vying for a place among the top four finalists and the Grand Award of the competition. Selected entries may be nominated to compete at the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance Awards 2026.

The teams representing Hong Kong in the Final Judging are as follows:

Category	Team name	Solution
Smart Economy	Transcendence Company Limited	C-SMART All-in-one Smart Construction Management Platform
Smart Economy	Cobot AI	IntelliTouch
Smart Economy	KUBOT	Synergistic Multimodal AI Platform for Open-Data Intelligence
Smart Environment	Lands Department / AECOM Asia Company Limited / China Energy Engineering Group Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute Co., LTD	Underground Utilities Information System
Smart Environment	Digital Common(s)	Digital Common(s)
Smart Living	Hong Kong Metropolitan University	AI2
Smart Living	Insights Pro Limited	Drone
Smart Living	EverBuddy	Early Intervention and Mental Health Assessment via Conversational AI
Smart Living	Bioinformatics Team, Hong Kong Metropolitan University	Vascular Age Estimation Using Clinical Parameters: A Comparative Study of Machine Learning and Deep Learning
Smart Living	SmartAge Intelligence Limited	SmartAge Home System - An Intelligent Guardian for Healthy Aging
Smart Mobility	CUHK ASEI+X.	Celestial Grid Network: AI Low Altitude Management System
Smart Mobility	FAITH (Frankie and Apple Intelligence Technology HK)	Cross-border Self-drive Transportation Trusted Data Service Platform (HK Drive Safe)

(Ranking in no particular order)

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Cheung remarked on the fruitful outcomes between Hong Kong and Shanghai in propelling the synergistic development of the digital economy through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Shanghai and Hong Kong on Digital Economy Co-operation as well as the establishment of the Working Group on Shanghai and Hong Kong Digital Co-operation. The staging of this year's competition stands as another example of the deepening collaboration in innovation and technology (I&T) between the two cities.

During their visit to Shanghai, apart from participating in the Final Judging, the Hong Kong delegation will showcase their innovative solutions to the Mainland technology industry at the competition's exhibition in Huangpu. They will also participate in roadshows and business matching events to further explore business opportunities and unlock the value of data elements. In addition, the delegation will visit several local leading I&T organisations to deepen their understanding of Shanghai's latest advancements in cutting-edge fields, including AI, embodied AI and new energy vehicles, thereby fostering deeper collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai in the development of the digital economy.

The Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2026 commenced in Hong Kong in April this year with the Final Judging set to take place in Shanghai this month. Themed "Co-creating a Data Industry Platform for the Two Cities", the competition aims to encourage participants from Hong Kong and Shanghai to integrate open data sets from both cities to develop more innovative applications and promote the synergistic development of a smart city and digital economy in both cities. Details of the competition are available on the thematic website (hkshadata.org/en).

Qatar Airways Cargo Opens Hong Kong Office, Signs MOU to Boost Air Connectivity and Cooperation with Airport Authority

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