HK Express, the low-cost arm of the Cathay Group, has launched a daily Airbus A320 rotation between Hong Kong International Airport and Wuxi Shuofang Airport (WUX) in Jiangsu province. The inaugural flight took off on 17 July and the airline formally trumpeted the route on 22 July, positioning it as the carrier’s sixth mainland destination and a bridge between the Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta manufacturing belt. Departures leave Hong Kong at 16:15 and return from Wuxi at 19:45, enabling same-day business meetings and onward evening connections through Cathay’s long-haul network. HK Express CEO Jeanette Mao said codeshares with Cathay Pacific will allow Wuxi travellers “to connect seamlessly via Hong Kong to a wide range of destinations across Asia and around the world,” underscoring the dual-brand strategy that targets value-conscious SMEs. For Hong Kong, the service strengthens the city’s pitch as an aviation super-connector. Corporate mobility teams with suppliers in Suzhou, Changzhou and Shanghai’s western suburbs can now shave at least two hours off door-to-door journey times compared with routing via Shanghai Hongqiao. The afternoon flight timing also avoids the early-morning congestion that plagues the Pearl River Delta airspace. Travel consultants expect healthy demand from electronics, life-sciences and textile companies that maintain split operations in the two economic zones. The route also dovetails with Beijing’s push for deeper integration of the GBA and Yangtze clusters, both earmarked as pillars of China’s high-tech export strategy. HR and mobility managers should update approved-carrier lists and consider adding Wuxi to regional assignment packages, particularly for engineers rotating between R&D hubs in Shenzhen and factory floors in Jiangsu.
Source: TTR Weekly
