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Aerospace: Industry Trends

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Aerospace: Industry Trends
Track China’s ambitious aerospace advancements, from the home-grown commercial aircraft to space exploration, and their global impact.
A Northwestern Polytechnical University hypersonic vehicle lifts off in northwestern China last year. The university’s researchers have reported a new breakthrough in graphite-sealed engine technology with implications for the US-China hypersonic race. Photo: Handout
Science

China conducts ground test of hypersonic ramjet that can change shape in flight

The graphite seal used in the Chinese breakthrough is the same one the US defence industry desperately needs.

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China airliners

China Eastern buys 25 A330neo widebody jets as interest rises in Airbus’ wings

China travel

China’s private-jet market finally pulling out of post-pandemic nosedive: source

China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s first C919s get critical ‘C-checks’ as European regulators watch

The first deep-level maintenance of Comac’s narrowbody jet is expected to provide the data needed to prove the aircraft’s long-term durability to global inspectors.

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Three years after its maiden commercial flight as China’s flagship civilian airliner, the C919 is entering a pivotal maintenance phase. Photo: Handout
China airliners

Air China C909 hits bird as Chinese jets face growing ‘real-world’ tests

Wildlife strike in Beijing caught on video near popular vantage point, illustrating how rising flight volumes expose Comac’s fleet of jets to more operational risks.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s C919 jet poised to tackle ageing domestic fleet: industry official

High maintenance and fuel costs squeeze Chinese airlines as replacement rates lag, while Comac’s home-grown model seen as buffer against supply-chain hurdles.

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China airliners

China widens repair network for C919, C909 jets to outfly supply disruptions

China’s home-grown jets will be able to stay in the air for longer as maintenance centres open on the mainland, some with Hong Kong servicers.

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Spectators view China’s C919 aircraft during the 2025 Nanchang Air Show and Aviation Industry Expo at Yaohu Airport in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
China airliners

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

The Chinese-made jet debuted in Xinjiang as recently as 2023, but is now being used on more than 120 routes in the region.

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Technology

Opinion | For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

Space is not an ordinary, commercial, open market but a strategic domain tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.

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Science

Will the future world order be determined by who controls low Earth orbit?

Amid Starlink’s ability to service conflict zones, Chinese article warns of ‘new form of power’ to allow or cut connectivity in real time.

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Starlink was rolled out in Ukraine in 2022 to replace internet and communication networks damaged by Russia’s invasion of the country, quickly becoming a critical tool for both civilian and military connectivity. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

Opinion | Engine dilemma lies at heart of successful take-off for China’s C919

Launching the aircraft with the imported LEAP-1C engine has led to bottlenecks and dependence but developing a convincing home-made engine will take time.

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A model of the Leap-1C engine by CFM International, a joint venture of America’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, on display at China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8. Photo: Frank Chen
Hong Kong politics

Opinion | How markets will test Hong Kong’s new economic model

Industrial policy can guide and catalyse but it cannot substitute for a genuine competitive advantage.

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IPO

Countdown starts for Chinese rocket maker CAS Space’s Shanghai listing

China’s commercial rocket champion plans to raise US$600 million on the Star Market after its listing application is accepted.

Science

Is China’s commercial rocket now cheaper than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9?

Using the measure of cost per kilogram of payload capacity, CAS Space compares its Kinetica-2 to a US reusable rocket.

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A Kinetica-2 Y1 carrier rocket, also known as the Lijian-2 Y1, with three satellites onboard blasts off from a launch centre in northwestern China on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
China airliners

China’s 5-year jet goals target C919 output, a new engine and less reliance

Amid geopolitical risks and supply-chain disruptions, Beijing is looking to shore up self-sufficiency in aircraft components, and an analyst says it has its work cut out.

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Comac’s C919 aircraft on display during Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua
Aviation

Helicopter travel takes off in China during Spring Festival rush

Helicopter services boomed during the Chinese New Year, offering fast travel and new routes across different cities.

China airliners

China’s C909 jet gets international uplift with funding for adoptive airline

Chengdu Airlines, an affiliate of C909 manufacturer Comac, has received a capital injection to help widen the jet’s international coverage.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong’s budget should move the city towards ‘inspirational’ development

The 2026-27 budget speech should explain how the city’s economic direction aligns with global and national trends, defining its place in the industries of the future.

People stand on a new boardwalk in Quarry Bay on January 4. Photo: Robert Ng
China's space programme

Editorial | Hong Kong need not wait to help Chinese space ambitions take off

As a leading hub for finance and law, the city has the ‘right stuff’ to be proactive in drawing up solid action plans for the space economy.

China airliners

New brainer: China’s C929 widebody lands partner to power next-gen flight mind

After Comac secures core flight-system supplier for its widebody jet’s ‘brain’, sourcing the ‘heart’ of the C929 remains a lofty challenge.

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China's space programme

Opinion | As China opens up its space sector, Hong Kong should reach for the stars

With deep capital markets and globally aligned legal practices, the city can support a competitive Chinese space programme that shapes global standards.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China airliners

Exclusive | China’s widebody C929 may take off ahead of schedule, sources say

Maker of the home-grown rival to Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 is working directly with regulators, which analysts said could speed up certification.

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Models of C19 and C929 aircraft are displayed during the eighth China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen-3 becomes one of world’s first AI models to operate in orbit

The entire Qwen-3 process – from uploading queries to on-orbit inference and sending results back to Earth – took less than two minutes.

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China's space programme

China’s commercial space sector soars with 50 launches in 2025

Commercial launches accounted for 54 per cent of the total last year, data from China National Space Administration shows.

China airliners

Exclusive | European test pilots put China’s C919 airliner through paces in Shanghai

European Union Aviation Safety Agency test flights a crucial step in acquiring certification needed for global operation.

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C919s at the Singapore Airshow in February 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Aerospace: Geopolitics

Why are rich Chinese moving private jets offshore, slumming it in budget seats?

Strict flight rules and economic headwinds are forcing scrutiny-wary tycoons to rebase aircraft in places such as Singapore or downgrade to commercial cabins.

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Two crew members walk past business jets in Shanghai. Photo: AFP
China’s C919 passenger plane

Soaring to the top: China appoints first female captain for C919 flights

Promotion of former Boeing 737 pilot Yu Yue, who holds a ‘zero error’ record, called an inspiration to women across the nation.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s Comac to team up with China Eastern for bigger C919 variant, sources say

Comac’s stretched model, expected to be dubbed the C919-800, could target lucrative Asian routes and seat more than 200 passengers.

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