HK Express Soars as World's Safest Budget Airline Again

HK Express Airways (HK Express) has once again been ranked #1 as the World's Safest Low-Cost Airline for 2026 by AirlineRatings, the global leading airline safety and product rating organisation. This achievement marks the second consecutive year that HK Express has secured the top global ranking, reaffirming its commitment to the highest standards of operational safety and consistency.

HK Express Wins World's Safest Low-Cost Airline Award

The recognition further builds on HK Express's long-standing safety credentials. The airline has maintained a 7-Star Safety Rating for 12 consecutive years and, in 2025, became the first low-cost carrier to receive the 7-Star Plus Safety Rating. Together these distinctions underscore that HK Express's safety performance is built on consistency, discipline and culture.

Jeanette Mao, CEO of HK Express, said: “Safety is the cornerstone of HK Express, and we prioritise it in every aspect of our operation. Being recognised as the World's Safest Low-Cost Airline for the second consecutive year is a tremendous honor and a strong endorsement of the standards we uphold every day.

HK Express Wins World's Safest Low-Cost Airline Award

All commercial airlines, including low-cost airlines, are subject to the same rigorous international safety and regulatory requirements, and safety is never compromised by business models. This recognition affirms that customers can enjoy both affordability and world-class safety in air travel. It also reflects the commitment and professionalism of our entire team. Having safely flown over 35 million customers, we remain focused on expanding our network and delivering reliable air travel service across Asia."

Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com, said: “HK Express has claimed the title of World's Safest Low-Cost Airline for a second time, underpinned by an exceptionally low incident rate in a jurisdiction with some of the world's most stringent reporting standards, an almost flawless onboard safety audit, and a modern fleet. At the heart of the organisation is a blame-free, collaborative culture that supports transparency, continuous improvement, and consistently strong safety outcomes.”

HK Express Wins World's Safest Low-Cost Airline Award

AirlineRatings' ranking of the World's Safest Low-Cost Airline is based on rigorous evaluation by aviation experts and check pilots. The assessment considers a comprehensive range of criteria, including serious incidents over the past two years, incident rates, fleet size and age, fatalities, pilot skill and training, as well as compliance with IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification and ICAO country audit standards.

HK Express continues to demonstrate a strong and consistent safety track record. In addition to being named the World's Safest Low-Cost Airline for both 2025 and 2026, the airline operates a young and fuel-efficient fleet of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, with an average age of under eight years. Built to enhanced specifications and equipped with advanced technology, the fleet supports high operational reliability while enhancing passenger comfort.

HKSAR Government welcomes court's decision to dismiss Chow Hang Tung's application for judicial review on clothing policy for persons in custody

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government welcomes the judgment handed down by the Court of First Instance of the High Court today (January 13) to dismiss Chow Hang Tung's application for judicial review on the clothing policy for persons in custody (PICs).

The court judgment pointed out that the current clothing policy for PICs, including the requirement for female PICs to wear trousers in summer daytime, was formulated by the Correctional Services Department (CSD) as authorised by the Prison Rules. The Court was satisfied that the CSD had the expertise and experience in the relevant context, and that it had carefully considered various factors, taken into account of professional opinion when making the decision, as well as reviewed the policy continuously. The Court ruled that Chow Hang Tung had failed to demonstrate that the current policy constituted less favourable treatment of a particular gender. The Court pointed out that there was currently no factual evidence to support any assertion that there was widespread concern about the health effects of wearing trousers in summer. In addition, the rule was not absolute, but instead allowed individual PICs to apply for exceptional arrangements in special circumstances. At the same time, the Court also rejected Chow Hang Tung's assertion that she had requested to the CSD in July and August 2024 to wear shorts and had been refused.

A spokesman for the Security Bureau said, "The ruling of the Court of First Instance confirmed that the CSD's approach is reasonable, justified and lawful. According to Rule 26 of the Prison Rules, the CSD must provide every PIC with a uniform that meets a scale imposed by the Commissioner of Correctional Services. Over the years, the CSD had appointed task groups from time to time to review the clothing arrangements of PICs. These reviews gave ample consideration to numerous factors, including the type of correctional institutions, PICs' varying daily routines and activities involved, the need for thermal, physical and psychological comfort for PICs of different genders, privacy and decency of PICs and the security, good order and discipline of the prison, so as to continuously refine clothing arrangements according to the prevailing circumstances."

The spokesman stated, "Chow Hang Tung's assertion that she requested to wear shorts in summer and was rejected by the CSD is entirely inconsistent with the facts and was rejected by the Court. Besides, the current clothing policy for PICs already provides a degree of flexibility. For example, a PIC may make an application to wear other clothing on medical or non-medical grounds to the CSD, and the CSD would make appropriate arrangements having considered the actual circumstances and relevant factors."

The CSD will continue to impartially implement the relevant rules of the Prison Rules in accordance with the law and commit to providing a secure, safe, humane, decent and healthy custodial environment.

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