Low-cost carrier HK Express has launched limited HK$2 one-way fares for residents of Hong Kong and Macau aged 65 and over to celebrate Senior Citizens Day, which this year falls on Sunday.
The HK$2 tickets are available to 13 destinations in mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, while seniors can fly to seven cities in Japan and South Korea from HK$65. The one-way fare allows for one small personal item and one cabin baggage and must be bought as a round-trip ticket. It does not include taxes and surcharges.
Bookings opened at 10 am on Thursday and must be made through a dedicated website.
In a statement on the HK Express website, the airline’s CEO Jeanette Ma said: “Senior citizens have made significant contributions to the development of our society; it is our privilege to enable them to fly and explore the world on their own terms.”
The campaign was one of several organised ahead of Senior Citizens Day on Sunday. Over 1,800 restaurants, shops and service merchants will offer discounts and concessions to Hongkongers holding Senior Citizen Cards, according to a government statement issued on Sunday.
Hong Kong boasts one of the longest life expectancies in the world and its population is ageing. According to projections from the Census and Statistics Department, the number of people aged 65 and over in the city was expected to nearly double from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million in 2046. By then, one in every three people will be elderly.
Challenges associated with an ageing population, including a shrinking workforce and pressures on health and social care sectors, are already being felt in the city.
Public spending on services for the elderly in Hong Kong has also ballooned, with a HK$2 transport subsidy scheme for people aged 60 and over estimated to cost the government HK$6 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, up 50 per cent from the previous year.
