On January 6, 2026, the Faculty of Finance of City University of Macau held a finance seminar at Golden Dragon Campus, Macau. The seminar featured Dr. Stanley Kan, Chief Services Officer, Greater Bay Airlines Company Limited and Executive Chairman, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Aviation Exchange Association, was invited as the keynote speaker. The seminar focused on the theme "Taking off in the Greater Bay Area: Building a new ecosystem driven by both civil aviation and finance in the Greater Bay Area." Distinguished guests included Mr. Gibson Cheong, Chief supervisor, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Aviation Exchange Association, as well as Dean Adrian Cheung and Associate Dean Eva Khong of the Faculty of Finance.
Dr. Stanley Kan possesses 30 years of aviation management experience, including over 20 years in senior executive leadership roles. He has served in various positions such as General Manager, Director, Managing Director of ground service companies, Company Director, and Chairman. He has also led airline transformation preparation teams and served as a senior advisor for airline establishment preparation committees. Currently, he is the Chief Services Officer of Greater Bay Airlines in Hong Kong and the Executive Chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Aviation Exchange Association. Dr. Kan is passionate about education, community, and youth development. He founded the Macau Professionals Development Association in 2010 and currently serves as the Director of its Research and Development Centre. Over the past 13 years, he has actively promoted the improvement and sustainable development of the regional talent environment, including organizing thematic research reports, publishing articles, and hosting numerous discussion forums, sharing sessions, and online salons on professional topics. His efforts have garnered strong support and recognition from the local government, various sectors of society, and government departments in multiple cities across the Greater Bay Area. He looks forward to continuing his contributions to government talent policies, specialist recruitment strategies, talent cultivation, and the diversification of industry talent in the future.
During the seminar, Dr. Stanley Kan pointed out that Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is actively transforming into a smart and green airport. With "Smart and Green" as its core development direction, HKIA is fully implementing Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) to shorten flight distances and plans to achieve a target of 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) usage for regional flights by 2027. Concurrently, the "Airport City" vision is being progressively realized, with the SkyCity complex slated for full operation in 2025. Integrated with an unmanned "multi-modal" transport system, it aims to enhance passenger experience and logistics efficiency. Furthermore, with the continuous advancement of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, HKIA is collaborating with cities in the region. This includes establishing "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Air Traffic Management Coordination" with the five major airports in the Pearl River Delta to improve runway utilization, enhancing hub synergy within the Bay Area, and enabling seamless "sea-air intermodal" transshipment. With the commencement of the three-runway system and the implementation of smart and green planning, Hong Kong is further consolidating its status as an international aviation hub.
Dr. Stanley Kan outlined that Hong Kong's current four major airlines are Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express, and Greater Bay Airlines. These airlines are actively expanding their routes, introducing new aircraft, and promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), targeting carbon peak by 2035. Among them, the newly established Greater Bay Airlines positions itself as a "value carrier," operating between low-cost and full-service models. It is gradually expanding its fleet and destinations, having introduced Asia's first Boeing 737-9 aircraft, offering premium services such as "Premium Economy" class. Dr. Kan highlighted in the seminar that aircraft leasing has become a "light-asset engine" for the aviation industry. Through operating leases, airlines can reduce cash flow pressure, flexibly adjust capacity, and optimize their balance sheets. Simultaneously, leveraging tax incentives and cross-border financial advantages, Hong Kong has developed into one of the world's important leasing centers. Financial innovation is also driving green aviation development. In 2024, Cathay Pacific and BOC Aviation signed the first "SAF-linked" operating lease agreement. During the seminar, Dr. Kan mentioned the opportunities for talent from Greater Bay Area universities in the region's civil aviation development. Citing data, he indicated that with the rapid development of the aviation industry, approximately 15,000 new positions are expected to be created in the next five years. Concurrently, there is a demand for finance professionals, with the Greater Bay Area's civil aviation sector projected to require about 8,200 specialists familiar with aircraft financing annually. Regarding policy, Hong Kong's "2023-24 Budget" has injected an additional HK$200 million into the "Maritime and Aviation Training Fund," for the first time covering training modules for aircraft financing and insurance, aiding in the cultivation of finance and aviation specialists.
During the Q&A session, Dr. Kan actively interacted with the students. The students enthusiastically asked questions and expressed that the opportunity to engage with industry professionals was highly beneficial, looking forward to more industry experience in the future. The faculty and students of the Faculty of Finance once again thanked Dr. Kan for his insightful analysis and experience sharing, which enhanced the students' understanding of the civil aviation industry and provided them with a valuable lesson.