In January 2026, Hong Kong’s low-cost airline HK Express was named by Airline Ratings as the world’s safest low-cost airline for 2026, reinforcing the airline’s position as one of Asia’s highest-performing low-cost carriers.
This is the second year in a row that HK Express was ranked as number one in the prestigious global ranking, reflecting a sustained focus on cabin safety and a mature safety culture. The number one safety ranking follows another year of strong performance and multiple independent industry awards for HK Express’s on-time performance, network growth, and employee experience by organisations including OAG (global travel data company), the Employee Experience Awards, and the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management.
Why HK Express ranked as world’s safest
The team at Airline Ratings has been rating airline safety and performance for more than 12 years, and the ‘World’s Safest Airlines Rankings’ are widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious and respected rankings. You can view the 2025 safety ratings and 2026 safety rankings online.
In the 12 months leading up to the annual awards, the world’s leading airlines are reviewed and rated on multiple criteria that research shows are most likely to impact the likelihood of airline incidents, injuries, and fatalities.
That includes factors such as adherence to industry-recognised safety certification, number of major and minor incidents per flight, fleet age, aircraft maintenance, operational transparency, pilot training, and safety culture, right through to anonymous onboard safety audits. More details on the safety ratings criteria are online.
HK Express’s number one ranking reflects the airline’s continued commitment to globally established safety protocols. Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen commented on HK Express’ win:
“HK Express faced tough competition from airlines that also excelled in audits, maintained exceptionally low incident rates, and operated modern fleets. One advantage HK Express shares with Jetstar, which ranked second, is the backing of a well-established parent company — in this case, Cathay Pacific. We spent a week with HK Express reviewing its operations, with a particular focus on pilot training and collaboration between HK Express and Cathay Pacific. This culminated in our onboard cabin safety audit, which delivered an almost flawless result. Taken together, these factors explain why HK Express has secured the top spot for a second consecutive year.”
HK Express also became the first low-cost carrier to receive Airline Ratings’ Seven Star PLUS safety rating, following an almost perfect industry-benchmarked onboard cabin safety audit.
Other awards won by HK Express
In addition to the safety ranking, in 2025, HK Express received multiple industry awards spanning workforce engagement, operational performance, and organisational development. You can find more details on the HK Express profile on AirlineRatings.com.
Employee Experience Awards
HK Express was recognised with multiple awards for its commitment to its people at the Employee Experience Awards 2025, including Best Employer Branding (Silver), Best Employee Communication Strategy (Silver), and Best Talent Sourcing and Attraction Strategy (Bronze).
The airline also performed strongly at the same awards in 2024, securing Gold for Best Employee Engagement Communication Strategy, reinforcing its continued focus on its workforce engagement.
The Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management
In 2024, HK Express was recognised by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM) for its people and workplace initiatives. Recognition from a local professional body reflects the airline’s emphasis on employee engagement, communication, and talent development within a highly competitive regional market.
Awards presented to HK Express include The Grand Award of Employee Experience, The Excellent Award in Employer Branding, The Excellence Award in Gen Z Attraction, and The Elite Award in Employee Happiness.
From Airline Ratings’ research with onboard audits, this award directly reflects the observed strengths in crew engagement, service consistency, and frontline operational culture. This reinforces the link between internal workforce investment and the passenger experience.
Operational performance recognised by OAG
OAG has recognised HK Express for two consecutive years. In 2024, the airline was named Fastest Growing Airline, followed by a Top 5 global ranking for on-time performance in June 2025, highlighting both operational growth and schedule reliability.
In addition to on-time performance and growth honours, OAG recognised HK Express in Megahubs 2025 as the Most Improved Connected Airline for Northeast Asia. This recognition directly reflects significant route expansion and improved connectivity across the region. The award comes as HK Express expanded its Asian route network with several new destinations and helped elevate Hong Kong International Airport’s low-cost hub ranking from 24th to a top-five position.
Previous years’ wins
Beyond its most recent acknowledgement, HK Express has built a consistent track record of industry and workplace awards in earlier years. These include multiple honours across employee engagement, employer branding, data-driven customer insight, and corporate responsibility. The airline has also received accolades from regional HR and professional bodies in Hong Kong and across Asia.
Awards from programmes such as the HR Distinction Awards, Transform Awards Asia, CIO100 ASEAN Awards, and The Caring Company Scheme reflect sustained investment beyond short-term peaks in performance.
Industry recognition in context
Collectively, the array of honours across safety, operational reliability, and employee experience indicates a broader operational profile beyond a purely cost-driven model. HK Express’ recent ratings, awards, and recognition indicate a growing emphasis on consistency, internal culture, and operational discipline.
From an Airline Ratings perspective, recognition received across multiple years and independent programmes helps demonstrate consistency rather than isolated performance. This type of sustained growth aligns with how Airline Ratings evaluates airlines, with an emphasis on reputable standards, operational discipline, and a long-term safety culture.
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