DRAGONAIR ADDS FLIGHTS TO MEET LUNAR NEW YEAR DEMAND

Dragonair will operate an additional 39 return flights between January 18 and February 1 to meet the demand for holiday travel over the Lunar New Year period.

“It’s traditionally the busiest travel time of the year, and we add the extra flights in an effort to ensure no-one is disappointed in their holiday plans,” said James Yeung, Dragonair’s General Manager Commercial.

“This year, as usual, we’re seeing a lot of travellers head for warmer climes in Thailand, Malaysia and Hainan Island in China. But some will also be heading to cultural and scenic hotspots in the mainland, such as Beijing and Guilin,” Mr Yeung said.

Dragonair’s additional services over the period will operate to Beijing, Shanghai, Kaoshiung, Phuket, Guilin, Kota Kinabalu, Hangzhou and Haikou.

In addition, there will be a charter flight to Sapporo in Japan, and larger aircraft will be used on seven services, including to Phuket and Guilin.

“With the additional flights we’re expecting to fly 15,000 more passengers than we did over the Lunar New Year last year,” explained Mr Yeung.

He added: “Because it is such a busy travel period, we advise passengers to check in at the airport early to avoid delays, as well as ensure they have sufficient money for their trip as banks will be closed due to the holidays.”

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, including 17 in mainland China, while its cargo network connects the markets of Europe, the Middle East and China.