HK Express Records 45% Year-on-Year Growth in Chinese Mainland Passenger Traffic During Mainland's National Day Golden Week

Hong Kong, 12 October 2026 — During the Chinese Mainland's National Day Golden Week  this year, travel demand to Hong Kong among Chinese Mainland travellers continued to grow. HK Express Airways (HK Express) recorded a significant 45% year-on-year increase in inbound passengers from Chinese Mainland during the holiday period.

The number of Chinese Mainland passengers travelling via Hong Kong on HK Express flights to other Asian destinations also increased significantly, up more than 160% year on year.

^{1 The National Day Golden Week holiday period covers seven days, from 1 to 7 October 2026.}

Growth in Chinese Mainland passenger traffic supports Hong Kong tourism

HK Express is committed to facilitating travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland through convenient, flexible and affordable air services, providing greater choice for business travellers, holidaymakers and those visiting family and friends. By connecting Hong Kong with Chinese Mainland cities including Beijing, Wuxi, Ningbo and Changzhou, HK Express continues to strengthen air connectivity between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, supporting two-way travel, tourism exchanges and economic ties.

In addition to expanding its Chinese Mainland network, HK Express has been actively strengthening its brand promotion and industry partnerships in the Greater Bay Area and other Mainland cities. These efforts help broaden its customer base and attract more Chinese Mainland travellers to Hong Kong, aligning with the Hong Kong SAR Government's objective of promoting high-quality tourism development, as set out in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address.

During this year's National Day Golden Week holiday, HK Express recorded a 45% year-on-year increase in the number of Chinese Mainland passengers vising Hong Kong. The busiest travel day was 2 October, with more than 13,000 Chinese Mainland passengers travelling to and from Hong Kong in a single day. HK Express will continue to attract more travellers to Hong Kong through convenient and affordable flight options, enabling them to discover the city's diverse experiences and bringing additional passenger traffic to the tourism and related sectors.

Expanding Mainland network strengthens links with the Yangtze River Delta, as demand grows steadily

Over the past two years, HK Express has launched or announced four new destinations in the Chinese Mainland, including the Wuxi route inaugurated in July and the upcoming Hefei route, which will commence on 3 December. The new service will further expand air connectivity between Hong Kong and the Yangtze River Delta, while giving customers in the region more options to travel to Hong Kong and other destinations in Asia.

During the Golden Week holiday, HK Express's six Chinese Mainland routes performed well, reflecting continued and stable demand across the airline's Mainland network. The Wuxi route continued to perform strongly, recording an average load factor of 85% between its launch and 7 October. To meet passenger demand, HK Express has upgraded the Wuxi route with the larger Airbus A321ceo aircraft since October, increasing seat capacity. On the Beijing route, the average load factor reached 87% between 1 January and 7 October, increased by six percentage points from the same period last year; passenger traffic also rose 14% year on year, reflecting sustained demand for air travel between Hong Kong and Beijing.

HK Express will continue to monitor market demand closely and optimise its Chinese Mainland network and capacity deployment as appropriate. The airline will also continue to expand its destinations across Asia, supporting the goal of increasing the number of global destinations served from Hong Kong International Airport to 240 within five years. These efforts support the direction set out in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan to continue expanding Hong Kong's international air network and strengthen connectivity between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and destinations worldwide.

Increased transit traffic highlights Hong Kong's aviation hub role

During the Golden Week holiday, the number of Chinese Mainland passengers travelling via Hong Kong to other destinations increased by more than 160% compared with the same period last year, reflecting sustained growth in demand for air services connecting through Hong Kong. In addition to expanding its network and increasing capacity, HK Express continues to facilitate travel from the Chinese Mainland to destinations worldwide through its codeshare partnership with Cathay Pacific and by promoting the HK Express Intermodal Pass. These services make connections via Hong Kong International Airport more convenient for passengers and align with the direction set out in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan to improve transit service convenience and strengthen Hong Kong's role as a hub connecting Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland cities with destinations worldwide.

Jeanette Mao, Chief Executive Officer of HK Express, said: "Demand remained strong during this year's National Day Golden Week holiday, and we are pleased to see more Chinese Mainland travellers choosing HK Express to visit Hong Kong or visit other destinations in Asia via Hong Kong. The growth in Chinese Mainland passenger traffic, shows that our continued investment in the Chinese Mainland market and network optimisation are meeting travellers' demand for convenient, flexible, and affordable air services.

"Our continued investment in network expansion and intermodal transfer service also reflects our support for Hong Kong's role as a 'super connector'. Alongside giving travellers more choices, we are strengthening air connectivity between Hong Kong and more Chinese Mainland cities. As Hong Kong's second-largest airline by capacity, we will continue to leverage the advantages of our low-cost-carrier model to offer customers greater choice, support the high-quality development of Hong Kong's tourism industry, and strengthen Hong Kong's competitive edge as an international aviation hub and world-class tourism destination."