Flight UO2880 left Hong Kong on Feb 14 carrying 174 passengers and arrived at Baotou Airport, marking the launch of direct flights between the two cities, Baotou Daily reports.

A total of 174 passengers take the UO2880 flight from Hong Kong to Baotou on Feb 14. [Photo/Baotou Daily]

Operated by HK Express, Hong Kong’s first and only low-cost carrier (LCC), on an Airbus A320, the flight is scheduled to fly three times?this month. The aircraft will leave Hong Kong at 12:15 pm and reach Baotou at 4:05 pm. Return flight will take off at 4:50 pm and arrive in Hong Kong at 8:35 pm.

The flight will run every Monday from March.

It is the only direct flight linking North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region with Hong Kong, an international financial and trade hub.

The launching of the direct flight is expected to boost tourism in both cities and improve cooperation between them.

The HK Express flight uses an Airbus A320. [Photo/tourism bureau of Baotou]

So far, the route has proven a commercial success with all available passenger seats taken.

A tourist from Hong Kong surnamed Li expressed her excitement at news of the new flight, saying that now it only takes three hours to reach the largest city in Inner Mongolia.

In addition, Baotou will launch a flight to Nha Trang, Vietnam, at the end of March.