Macau joins China’s C929 certification team as four deals are signed

Civil aviation authorities from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau signed four cooperative arrangements in Hong Kong yesterday, deepening mutual recognition of airworthiness standards and launching joint certification work on the C929 wide-body passenger aircraft.

The agreements were signed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Macao SAR. The package includes a revised maintenance management agreement and three new airworthiness agreements, further advancing regional aviation integration.

Under the C929 arrangement, both Macau and Hong Kong will send representatives to participate in the type certification committee and review team for the long-range wide-body aircraft developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

For Macau, the move provides direct exposure to advanced certification practices, allowing its aviation sector to gain firsthand experience in the airworthiness approval process for a next-generation large passenger jet.

The revised joint maintenance management arrangement removes geographic restrictions that previously limited cooperation to facilities within the three jurisdictions. Any maintenance or training organization approved by one of the three authorities will now have its release and training certificates recognized by the other two, regardless of where the organization is physically located. This allows Macau carriers to use overseas-based Macau institutions or mainland- and Hong Kong-approved facilities for maintenance services, significantly broadening their operational flexibility.

On type certificates, Macau and Hong Kong will now accept CAAC-issued approvals as having completed the necessary technical evaluations, simplifying the cross-regional flow of aviation products. Manufacturers and operators can expect reduced duplication of certification work when moving aircraft and components among the three markets.

A separate agreement on aviation fuel and chemicals establishes that Macau and Hong Kong will accept CAAC permits in this field, helping Macau operators and ground service providers reduce reliance on single international suppliers. This diversification of supply sources strengthens the resilience of Macau’s aviation supply chain.

The four agreements mark an expansion from past single-sector cooperation into multi-dimensional collaboration, officials said. The three authorities described their relationship as longstanding, noting that future collaboration will focus on strengthening communication, technical coordination, and resource sharing to jointly address industry challenges.

Ahead of the signing, a CAAC delegation visited Macau on April 28 for talks with the local civil aviation authority.

Macau officials briefed the delegation on the territory’s aviation development, aircraft accident investigation cooperation with the mainland, safety management, and low-altitude economy initiatives.

CAAC deputy administrator Hu Zhenjiang said the two sides should continue to strengthen technical cooperation and personnel exchanges, while encouraging Macau’s aviation sector to leverage the ‘One country, two systems’ advantage to enhance competitiveness. With the new agreements in place, all three parties are expected to begin implementation work immediately.