Cathay Pacific not to lodge objection to Dragonair application

Cathay Pacific Airways has confirmed that it will not lodge an objection with Hong Kong's Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) over Dragonair's application to fly to Manila, Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok and Sydney.

As the airline of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific wishes to strengthen Hong Kong's position as the region's leading aviation hub and as a gateway to the Chinese Mainland. Hence the airline's application to resume services to Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.

Cathay Pacific General Manager International Affairs Andrew Pyne said: "Cathay Pacific fully supports what is in the best interests of Hong Kong. Two strong and respected airlines are now well established here, and we believe they should both be able to contribute to Hong Kong's future economic development by building more effective hub operations at Hong Kong International Airport. To do this they will both need to have the ability to expand operations to serve new destinations and markets."