HK Express

Is HK Express safe?

Yes. HK Express, Cathay Pacific's low-cost airline, has never had a fatal accident or lost an aircraft, and it flies a young fleet of Airbus A320s and A321s. We score it 86. The one serious mark against it is a runway excursionRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary in Hong Kong in September 2025, in a gale, that damaged an aircraft but hurt nobody.

Who runs HK Express

HK Express is wholly owned by Cathay Pacific but holds its own air operator's certificate as Hong Kong Express Airways Limited. Its pilots, cabin crew and fleet are separate from Cathay's, and it books under its own code, UO. Both airlines answer to the same regulator, Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department (CAD), and serious events go to the separate Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA).

It is not a small operation. HK Express carried 4.2 million passengers in the first six months of 2026, up almost 10% on a year earlier, and 85.4% of its flights ran on time, better than Cathay Pacific's 75.1%. Rapid growth at a low-cost airline is worth watching, because it stretches crew experience and maintenance capacity, but nothing on the public record so far suggests a problem.

Hong Kong holds FAA Category 1FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, and no Hong Kong airline is on the EU Air Safety ListEU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary. HK Express appears on IATA's member list, which requires an IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary safety audit.

The September 2025 runway excursion

On 8 September 2025, flight UO235 from Beijing Daxing landed on Hong Kong's north runway at about 10:34. A No. 8 gale signal was in force, according to The Standard. During the landing roll the Airbus A320 veered to the right and ran onto the grass between taxiways C6 and C7, damaging three runway edge lights and two signs, then returned to the runway under its own power and stopped on a taxiway. The AAIA lists damage to the landing gear, the right engine and the fuselage. None of the 131 passengers and 6 crew was injured.

The AAIA classed the event as a serious incident. In its interim statement of 4 September 2026, it said the analysis of the cause is finished and the report is being processed. Until the report is published, any explanation (crosswind, braking, runway condition or crew handling) is speculation. We will update this page when it appears.

There is little else on the public record. The AAIA list does not show any other HK Express investigation, and the Aviation Safety Network lists no HK Express accident. Local media have reported the usual diversions and turn-backs for technical faults, smoke and cabin pressure, none with injuries.

A young Airbus fleet

At 30 June 2026, HK Express had 42 aircraft averaging 7.7 years, according to Cathay's interim results:

Type	Aircraft	Average age
Airbus A321neo	16	1.8 years
Airbus A320neo	10	7.3 years
Airbus A321	10	11.3 years
Airbus A320	6	18.3 years

The six older A320s, including the 2010-built aircraft in the 2025 excursion, are the oldest part of the fleet. More A320neo-family jets are on order through the Cathay Group, so the share of neos keeps rising.

Flying HK Express safely

HK Express flies short routes, mostly under five hours, to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China and South-East Asia. These are well-equipped airports. The main hazard is weather: Hong Kong and southern Japan see typhoons from about June to October.

• Check the typhoon signal before you go to the airport. When the Hong Kong Observatory raises signal No. 8, many flights are delayed or cancelled. If yours still operates, the crew and the CAD have judged the winds within limits, but expect a bumpy approach.
• Keep your belt fastened whenever seated. On short low-cost flights the seat belt sign often stays on through the climb and descent, and summer thunderstorms cause sudden turbulence.
• Do not take your bag in an evacuation. In a runway excursionRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary such as UO235, the quickest exit is the safest.

How we scored it

Fleet (84) and the accident record (90) are the strongest factors. Oversight (88) matches Cathay Pacific. The 2025 runway excursionRunway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary pulls serious incidents down to 76. HK Express scores one point above its parent because it has a younger fleet and fewer open investigations, not because its safety system is better.