Academic Staff

Captain Michael Lau has a Honours Degree from the University of Edinburgh in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

In 1991, after 18 months of intensive cadet pilot training in Prestwick, Scotland, Michael joined Cathay Pacific Airways as a professional commercial pilot. He learned international flight operations in Cathay with high training standards. He is rated on aircraft types such as the Boeing B747 and Airbus A330.

Michael then joined the Flight Standards and Airworthiness Division of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (HKCAD) as a Senior Operations Inspector in 2008. There he accumulated regulatory experience in the areas of safety oversight in public transport operations of airlines, accident investigations, safety policy formulation, dealing with public complaints and pilot unions, and representing HKCAD to present safety topics in international meetings and forums. He was then promoted to the managerial role of Directorate Grade as the Chief, Flight Standards in 2017.

During the tenure as Chief, Flight Standards, his major role was to conduct safety regulations on civil air operations in Hong Kong and the operation of Hong Kong registered aircraft. He licensed pilots, formulated on-the-job training for safety officers and inspectors, and dealt with budget planning and accident investigations.