The Asian Aerospace Congress opens next week in HongKong

Among the high-power speakers will be Eva Cheng, transport and housing secretary of the Hong Kong government, and one of the most powerful women in the region, who is the official hostess for the congress.

One of the speakers in the prestigious opening session is Dr Krishnadas Nair, president of the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries (SIATI), and former chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), who will speak about the outlook for air transport in India, and touch on the future of aerospace technology in the country.

Speakers from China include Zhang Hongbiao, executive vice-president and president of the China Aviation Industry Corporation II and Wu Fanghui, president of the Hongdu Aviation Industry Company, both of whom will talk about the outlook for China's aerospace industry and the experience of working in partnership with the west.

Airline chief executives Tony Tyler of Cathay Pacific and Tony Davis of Tiger Airways will be among the speakers at the congress, along with ministerial delegates from India and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. There will also be specialist master classes running parallel to the main congress to complement the main daily session themes.

Two other events will run alongside: Air Freight Asia and the Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium. Air Freight Asia will focus on the critical issues that will affect the Asia-Pacific airfreight industry in the coming years. There will be speakers from the Hong Kong Airport Authority, Boeing and Jade Cargo International.

The Asia-Pacific Airline Training Symposium will focus on pilot and maintenance training issues in the region. Topics range from future recruitment and training of pilots in Asia to the struggles encountered while meeting International Civil Aviation Organisation English language requirements. It will also highlight how regulatory changes have transformed the training and maintenance fields.