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Cathay’s flagship tech event introduces a dedicated employee track, fostering greater exchange and collaboration in aviation across Hong Kong, the wider Greater Bay Area and beyond
Cathay proudly concluded its eighth annual Cathay Hackathon, its flagship tech event for young innovators, last weekend at Cathay City, marking another milestone in fostering innovation and technology in aviation. The two-day event brought together 225 innovators for an intense 24-hour challenge, transforming bold ideas into cutting-edge digital solutions, as Cathay continues to reinforce its digital leadership.
As Cathay’s flagship event for young innovators, the Cathay Hackathon proudly concluded its 8th edition last weekend at Cathay City, marking another milestone in fostering innovation and technology in aviation.
This year’s Hackathon introduced a new Employee Track, designed to harness the creativity and expertise of Cathay’s global workforce. First launched in 2024 as Cathay’s Internal Hackathon, this track empowers employees worldwide to collaborate, innovate and deliver transformative solutions to real business challenges. By combining fresh perspectives with industry expertise, this year’s event created a vibrant platform for sharing ideas and exchanging insights — sparking innovative concepts that could shape the future of aviation.
The Cathay Hackathon 2025 set a new participation record, attracting over 1,900 university student applications and more than 200 employee applications. Following a rigorous selection process, 36 student teams and 12 employee teams were invited to Cathay City for Development Day, where they created, refined and prototyped innovative ideas addressing real business challenges across Cathay’s diverse operations — from lifestyle offerings and customer experience to cargo management and operational efficiency. After up to 24 hours of intense ideation and development, the top five teams from each track pitched their solutions to a distinguished panel of industry experts.
Joining the Award Ceremony as Guest of Honour, Cathay Group Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Sharpe said: “Innovation starts with each of us, and this year’s Cathay Hackathon is a testament to that belief. This initiative empowers young innovators across Hong Kong, the wider Greater Bay Area and beyond to think boldly and help shape the future of our industry. By introducing the employee track, we’ve created a unique platform where fresh ideas meet deep industry expertise, forging connections that spark real progress. At Cathay, we remain steadfast in our commitment to help Hong Kong grow as a world-leading hub for innovation and technology.”
Cathay Director Digital and IT Lawrence Fong said: “Now in its 8th edition, this year’s Cathay Hackathon has been nothing short of inspiring. The creativity, passion, and energy continue to reach new heights year after year. What truly stood out was the remarkable spirit of collaboration — teams sharing ideas, supporting one another, and learning together. This Hackathon was more than a competition; it was a vibrant community of innovators and aviation enthusiasts, united by a shared mission to shape the future of travel. A powerful showcase of progressive thinking and an unwavering can-do spirit.”
Cathay Director Digital and IT Lawrence Fong (back row, leftmost) and General Manager Digital Aldric Chau (back row, rightmost) congratulated the Student Track Champion Team Kairos Takeoff Crew (front row) and Employee Track Champion Team FlyLab (back row, second from left to second from right) on their achievements.
Cathay Group Chief Financial Officer Rebecca Sharpe joined the award ceremony in Cathay City as Guest of Honour.
In addition, the event featured a dynamic panel discussion, “Empowering Youth to Lead Hong Kong’s Innovation Future,” featuring Microsoft Hong Kong’s National Technology Officer Fred Sheu, Vidi Labs’ Co-founder and CEO Turzo Bose, Cyberport’s Head of Ecosystem Development Henry Li, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park’s Associate Director, Talent Acquisition, Engagement and Career Advisory Jonathan Choy and Cathay General Manager Digital Aldric Chau, who highlighted resources and tools available to help young innovators turn their ideas into reality in Hong Kong, and shared an inspiring success story of a young entrepreneur who transformed a vision into a thriving business.
Participants also engaged in months of preparatory activities, gaining insights into artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and Cathay’s behind-the-scenes operations. The event was supported by a wide range of partners, including Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cyberport, Google Cloud, HK Express, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), iOS Club, Microsoft, and eight innovative startups, all of which provided participants with the advice, tools and mentorship needed to bring their ideas to life.
This year’s winning student team, Kairos Takeoff Crew, impressed the judges with its visionary solution of an all-in-one customer journey platform for HK Express customers. Meanwhile, FlyLab took home the top prize for the Employee Track, with their AI-powered solution delivering concise, pre-flight briefing summaries for pilots.
Kairos Takeoff Crew said: “Our idea was inspired by our own experiences as travellers, and we’re thrilled to see it resonate with others. Innovation often starts with simple steps — small ideas that create genuine human connections. While it may not transform the industry overnight, we believe that by strengthening bonds on every flight, we can build lasting customer loyalty and, over time, spark meaningful change.”
FlyLab shared: “The Cathay Hackathon was an incredible experience and an exciting platform in which we could make a real impact. Our team, made up of pilots and IT professionals, shared a common goal: creating a powerful tool that enhances how pilots prepare for flights. For years, we’ve wanted to make pre-flight briefings more effective by helping pilots synthesise large amounts of information quickly and clearly. This event allowed us to turn that vision into reality — delivering a solution that makes flight preparation more efficient, supports better decision‑making, and ultimately strengthens safety and operational efficiency.”
The Student Champion Team earned a prize package that includes round-trip Business class tickets to any destination in Cathay Pacific’s global network, a combined 100,000 Asia Miles, and fast-track opportunities for Cathay’s Digital & IT Graduate Trainee or Internship programmes. The Employee Champion Team was also celebrated for their outstanding innovation, receiving a combined 250,000 Asia Miles along with exclusive rewards from Cathay’s partners.
In addition, all top three teams from each track will advance to the next stage through Cathay Innovate — the company’s innovation process — gaining access to an innovation fund of up to HK$500,000 to bring their ideas to life. Winners will also embark on an exclusive technology immersion trip, offering exposure to cutting-edge advancements and global best practices.
The Cathay Hackathon reflects Cathay’s unwavering commitment to nurturing talent and driving innovation in aviation across Hong Kong and beyond. Together with initiatives such as the Digital & IT Summer Internship, Graduate Trainee Programmes, Cadet Pilot Training Programme and I Can Fly programme, Cathay continues to create opportunities that inspire creativity and shape the future of travel.
For more information, please visit www.cathay.com.