Japan is a massive market from Hong Kong. While it may change, the latest data supplied by airlines to OAG indicates that there are 384 weekly departing passenger flights in November (double for both ways). This makes Japan the second-largest market from Hong Kong after China. While it may change, flights are 93% of what they were in November 2019. Japan has recovered better than Hong Kong markets as a whole (83%).
Hong Kong to Japan: November 2023
Come November, 12 airports across Japan are expected to have Hong Kong flights, up from nine in the northern aviation summer season. HK Express has planned the resumption of Hiroshima, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki, all due to see the A320.
Click here for Hong Kong-Hiroshima flights.
As the table, a bit further down, shows, HK Express is the second-largest of seven passenger carriers with Japan flights. With 123 weekly services (typically 18 daily), it will serve 11 Japanese airports, more than any other carrier.
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Cathay Pacific is first…
Cathay Pacific has 136 weekly flights in November, +117% of what it had in 2019. That is only because Cathay Dragon no longer exists, and its operations have been folded into Cathay’s. If the pair are combined, they had 136 flights – the same as expected later in 2023. In contrast to the others, All Nippon expects to operate half as many flights as before.
| Airline | Weekly flights in November* | Hong Kong to… | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Pacific | 136** | Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita | A330-300, 777-300ER |
| HK Express | 123 | Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka Kansai, Takamatsu, Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita | A321, A320 |
| Hong Kong Airlines | 66 | Fukuoka, Okinawa, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo, Tokyo Narita | A320, A330-300 |
| All Nippon | 21 | Osaka Kansai, Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita | 787-8, 787-9, 767-300ER |
| Japan Airlines | 14 | Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita | 787-9, 737-800 |
| Peach | 14 | Osaka Kansai | A320, A321 |
| Greater Bay | 10 | Osaka Kansai, Tokyo Narita | 737-800 |
| * One-way; ** 21 via Taipei |
Greater Bay begins second route
Greater Bay launched its first Japan route (Tokyo Narita) on January 12th, 2023. Its second (Osaka Kansai) followed on April 28th. It is now one of six carriers on the 1,539-mile (2,477 km) link to Kansai.
Click here for Hong Kong-Osaka flights.
Where is served?
When all seven airlines are combined, they will serve 12 airports across Japan in November. Osaka has more flights than anywhere else. Of course, when Narita and Haneda are combined, they have about 40% of Hong Kong’s Japan services.
| Hong Kong to… | Weekly flights: November | Airline(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka Kansai | 116 | Cathay (42, incl. 7 via Taipei), HK Express (29), Hong Kong Airlines (21), Peach (14), All Nippon (7), Greater Bay (3) |
| Tokyo Narita | 110 | Cathay (42, incl. 7 via Taipei), HK Express (28), Hong Kong Airlines (19), All Nippon (7), Japan Airlines (7), Greater Bay (7) |
| Tokyo Haneda | 42 | Cathay (14), HK Express (14), All Nippon (7), Japan Airlines (7) |
| Fukuoka | 38 | HK Express (19), Cathay (12), Hong Kong Airlines (7) |
| Nagoya | 28 | Hong Kong (21, incl 7 via Taipei), HK Express (7) |
| Okinawa | 21 | Hong Kong Airlines (14), HK Express (7) |
| Sapporo | 10 | Cathay (5), Hong Kong Airlines (5) |
| Kagoshima | 7 | HK Express |
| Hiroshima | 3 | HK Express |
| Kumamoto | 3 | HK Express |
| Nagasaki | 3 | HK Express |
| Takamatsu | 3 | HK Express |
Will you be flying between Hong Kong and Japan this year? Let us know in the comments.