A cargo plane carrying two giant pandas presented to Hong Kong by the central government left Chengdu for Hong Kong on Thursday morning.

"An An" and "Ke Ke" were a gift from Beijing to mark the 27th anniversary of the SAR's establishment.

A welcoming ceremony chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan is set for the pandas upon arrival.

Culture and tourism minister Kevin Yeung will also attend the event. He had earlier flown to Sichuan to oversee the operation.

Both aged five, the pandas left their homes at the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Centre in Chengdu overnight for a two-hour ride to Chengdu Airport.

They were each placed in a cage with bamboo leaves and fruits.

Dozens of staff with banners bid them farewell, with one staff member saying that she hoped to visit the pandas in the SAR.

"It felt like my daughter is going to be married far away. I will miss them very much, I wish them all the best in Hong Kong," she said.

The pandas will spend a month in quarantine and are expected to go on show in mid-December.

A contest will be held in Hong Kong next month to give the pandas new names.