[Aim]  To clarify the flight ability of adult Hyblaea puera, a introduced pest native to India and Southeast Asian countries that poses a risk to Avicennia marina in Guangxi and Guangdong, in order to better understand the potential for the spread of this pest, and develop prevention and control strategies for it. Recent repeated outbreaks of H. puera in China have seriously threatened the health of mangrove ecosystems. H. puera may migrate between its host plant, teak Tectona grandis, and mangroves. [Methods]  The flight ability of different ages of female and male adults of H. puera was measured in an insect flight mill both with, and without, food supplementation. [Results]  The flight ability of males was higher than that of females. The average cumulative flight distance of male and female adults first increased, then decreased, with age. The flight ability of 2-day-old adults with food supplementation was the highest. The average cumulative flight distance of females and males was (22.24 ± 8.63) and (33.44 ± 9.44) km, respectively, the average cumulative flight duration was (8.89±2.75) and (11.66±2.81) h, respectively, and the average cumulative flight speed was (2.70±0.72) and (2.88±0.56) km/h, respectively. The flight ability of female and male adults was significantly higher with, than without, supplementary food (P<0.05). The average cumulative flight speed of H. puera did not, however, significantly differ among treatment groups (P>0.05). [Conclusion]  Adult H. puera have strong flying ability, which is significantly affected by gender, age and food availability, all of which mainly affect the cumulative flight time.