DRAGONAIR BECOMES TDC’S OFFICIAL CARRIER FOR TRAVEL TO THE MAINLAND

Dragonair has been named the official airline for travel to and from the Chinese mainland by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) following the signing of a co-operation agreement between the two parties today.

“We welcome the opportunity to be the official airline for the TDC, which does such excellent work in promoting Hong Kong trade and commerce,” said Stanley Hui, Dragonair’s Chief Executive Officer. “This agreement helps us raise our profile as the China expert and strengthens our position as the airline of choice to the mainland.”

“Dragonair is a Hong Kong airline and offers the most extensive mainland network from the SAR; it is therefore the natural partner for us when travelling to and from destinations in Chinese mainland,” explained Michael Sze, Executive Director of the TDC.

Under the agreement, Dragonair will be the official airline of choice for staff and delegation organized by the TDC travelling to the Mainland on business. Such travel is expected to receive a boost this year when the TDC will organize over 100 mainland-related trade promotional activities following China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation.

Dragonair serves 17 Mainland cities, and offers six flights a day to the major business city of Shanghai and four daily flights to Beijing.

Dragonair is a Hong Kong-based airline, operating a fleet of five A330-300s, three A321s and six A320s in addition to the Boeing 747-200 freighter. It will almost double its fleet by the end of 2005. The airline’s passenger network covers 27 destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, while its cargo network connects the markets of Europe, the Middle East and China.