Low-cost carrier HK Express will cut its Takamatsu (Kagawa Prefecture, Japan)–Hong Kong service from a daily round trip to four weekly rotations starting 13 April 2026, the airline confirmed late on 11 March. Flights UO643/642 will now operate on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, leaving Hong Kong at 10:00 a.m. and returning from Takamatsu at 3:30 p.m. Codeshare partner Cathay Pacific will maintain seat inventory on the reduced schedule. The decision follows a network review that showed leisure traffic shifting towards Kansai and Kyushu destinations served by bullet train from Osaka. “Load factors on Takamatsu averaged 63 % this winter versus 79 % system-wide,” HK Express said, adding that it will redeploy the Airbus A321neo to launch a fourth daily Seoul Incheon rotation where demand has surged after Korea reinstated visa-on-arrival for Hong Kong residents.
![HK Express trims Takamatsu–Hong Kong flights to four per week citing demand shift]()
For travellers reshuffling their plans in light of these schedule changes, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can expedite Japanese eVisas, Korean K-ETA authorisations and other regional entry permits, helping passengers secure the right documents quickly when flight options suddenly shift.
Travel agents in Hong Kong say the cut leaves Shikoku with its only direct Hong Kong link, now reduced, and warns group tours may need to split across multiple days in peak cherry-blossom season. Corporate mobility managers with suppliers in Kagawa’s ceramics and auto-parts clusters will face longer transit times if connections via Tokyo or Osaka are required on off-days. Passengers booked after 13 April on cancelled flights can opt for a fee-free date change within seven days, a refund to original form of payment, or re-routing via Osaka Kansai on HK Express with ground transport to Takamatsu. Companies should update travel-approval tools and encourage staff to verify flight status before confirming onward rail or hotel reservations.
For travellers reshuffling their plans in light of these schedule changes, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) can expedite Japanese eVisas, Korean K-ETA authorisations and other regional entry permits, helping passengers secure the right documents quickly when flight options suddenly shift.
Travel agents in Hong Kong say the cut leaves Shikoku with its only direct Hong Kong link, now reduced, and warns group tours may need to split across multiple days in peak cherry-blossom season. Corporate mobility managers with suppliers in Kagawa’s ceramics and auto-parts clusters will face longer transit times if connections via Tokyo or Osaka are required on off-days. Passengers booked after 13 April on cancelled flights can opt for a fee-free date change within seven days, a refund to original form of payment, or re-routing via Osaka Kansai on HK Express with ground transport to Takamatsu. Companies should update travel-approval tools and encourage staff to verify flight status before confirming onward rail or hotel reservations.
