HK Express pledges to add over 400 flights to places popular among Hongkongers, including Tokyo and Singapore, following eased travel curbs

Low-cost airline HK Express has pledged to add more than 400 flights to destinations popular among Hongkongers in the coming three months, after the city ended its mandatory hotel quarantine for inbound travellers.

The airline on Wednesday said the move would lead to more than 80,000 additional seats up for grabs for those planning to fly to Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Bangkok and Singapore.

“HK Express intends to increase its flight capacity from October to December,” the carrier said. “This is after the overwhelming demand for travel we have seen over the past few days since the [Hong Kong government’s] latest announcement to remove the hotel quarantine arrangement for passengers arriving in Hong Kong.”

Eager residents rushed to book flights after authorities announced last Friday an end to mandatory hotel quarantine starting Monday, introducing a “0+3” scheme that allows inbound travellers to undergo medical surveillance at home instead of having to isolate in a designated hotel for three days.

Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, which owns HK Express, is hoping to hire more pilots and cabin crew in anticipation of a travel rebound.

“To meet the airline’s operational needs over the next 18 to 24 months, we have already started a comprehensive recruitment plan with the aim of hiring more than 4,000 frontline employees, including some 700 pilots and 2,000 cabin crew,” the airline said.

Last week, Cathay Pacific announced plans to add more than 200 pairs of passenger flights in October to cities such as Osaka, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, and also to long-haul destinations such as Vancouver, Sydney and Melbourne.