Dragonair
- For the Pokémon of the same name, see Dragonair (Pokémon).
| Dragonair 港龍航空公司 | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA KA | ICAO HDA | Callsign DRAGON |
| Founded | 1985 | <tr><th colspan="2">Hubs</th><td>Hong Kong International Airport</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Frequent flyer program</th><td>Asia Miles, The Elite (will be replaced by The Marco Polo Club from January 1, 2007)</td></tr>|
| Fleet size | 33 | |
| Destinations | 35 (incl. cargo) | |
| Headquarters |  Hong Kong (People's Republic of China) | |
| Key people | K.P. Chao (Honorary chairman) Kenny Tang, CEO Francis Wai, CFO Olivia Lin, GM - Airline Planning and International Affairs | |
| Website: http://www.dragonair.com | ||
</td></tr>Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (Traditional Chinese: 港龍航空有限公司; pinyin: Gǎnglóng Hángkōng Yŏuxiàn Gōngsī, literally "Dragon of Hong Kong") is a subsidary of Cathay Pacific. It is the second-largest airline in Hong Kong. It operates a passenger network covering destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, including mainland China, as well as a cargo network to Europe, Middle East, parts of Asia and China.
Contents |
History
The airline was established in May 1985 on the initiative of KP Chao, the airline's present honorary chairman, and started operations in July 1985, with a Boeing 737 service from Kai Tak International Airport to Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia. At the time, Dragonair was only a small new player in the Asian skies, and the airline's name was Hong Kong Dragon Airlines. In 1986, the airline officially changed its name to Dragonair (although its Chinese name remained the same) and was granted licences to operate to eight cities in mainland China and a regular service to Phuket. In 1987, the airline began charter flights to mainland China. This was also the year that Dragonair became the first Hong Kong-based airline to join IATA.
In January 1990, Cathay Pacific and Swire Group acquired a 35% holding from the Chao family, while CITIC acquired a 38% share. In 1993, Airbus A320 aircraft joined the fleet, followed by Airbus A330s in 1995. A further redistribution of shares took place in April 1996, when China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) purchased 35.86% of Dragonair and became the largest shareholder. The stake was further increased when CNAC was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 17 December 1997. In 1998, Dragonair became the last airline to have a plane landing at Kai Tak International Airport.
On 5 June 2006, The Standard (newspaper) of Hong Kong reported that a buyout of Dragonair by Cathay Pacific is "imminent." If successful, Dragonair will be wholly owned by Cathay Pacific.
On 9 June 2006, Cathay Pacific announced to buy out Dragonair in a deal worth HK$8.22 billion in cash and stock.
Dragonair is now a fully owned subsidary of Cathay Pacific Airways. Dragonair will keep its separate brand name for at least 6 years. [1] The deal will give Cathay Pacific the access to China it has been unable to get on its own.
Subsidiaries
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Dragonair destinations
35 cities around mainland China, Taiwan, the rest of Asia, the Middle East (cargo flights only), and Europe (also cargo flights only).
Passenger Destinations
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- China, People's Republic of
- Beijing (Beijing Capital International Airport)
- Changsha
- Chengdu (Chengdu Shuangliu Airport)
- Chongqing
- Dalian (Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport)
- Fuzhou
- Guilin
- Hangzhou (Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport)
- Harbin
- Kunming
- Nanjing (Nanjing Lukou International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Ningbo
- Qingdao (Qingdao Liuting International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Shenyang (Shenyang Taoxian International Airport) (via Dalian)
- Tianjin (Tianjin Binhai International Airport)
- Urumqi (Urumqi Diwopu Airport) seasonal scheduled charters
- Wuhan
- Xiamen (Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Xian (Xi'an Xianyang International Airport)
- China, Republic of (Taiwan)
- Kaohsiung (Kaohsiung International Airport)
- Taipei (Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Japan
- Malaysia
- South Korea
- Thailand
Cargo Destinations
- China, People's Republic of
- Nanjing (Nanjing Lukou International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Ningbo
- Qingdao (Qingdao Liuting International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Xiamen (Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- China, Republic of (Taiwan)
- Taipei (Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) (passenger and cargo)
- Japan
- United Arab Emirates
- Europe
- United States
Codesharing
Dragonair also codeshares with Air China on flights between Hong Kong and mainland China (particularly Beijing), Royal Brunei on flights between Hong Kong and Bandar Seri Begawan and China Southern Airlines between Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
Fleet
The Dragonair fleet consists of the following aircraft (at October 2006):
- 1 Airbus A300B4 (freighter) (wet leased from Express.Net)
- 11 Airbus A320-200
- 6 Airbus A321-200
- 12 Airbus A330-300 (further 4 on order)
- 1 Boeing 747-200F (freighter) (bought from China Airlines, B747-209F)
- 3 Boeing 747-300SF (freighter) (bought from Malaysia Airlines (2) and Singapore Airlines(1))
- 1 Boeing 747-400 (freighter) (wet leased from China Airlines)
- 1 Boeing 747-400(BCF) (bought from Singapore Airlines then converted into a Boeing Converted Freighter)*
Dragonair average fleet age is 7.3 years old in June 2006.
* The airline will get 3 more Boeing 747-400(BCF) from Singapore Airlines.
Livery
Dragonair's planes are basically all white, with a red dragon on the tail, and the name Dragonair written in English dark lettering under the front passenger windows, and in Chinese red lettering over the front passenger windows also. Recently, Dragonair introduced its first livery paint on A330. The paint portrays a Dragon Boat on sides of the aircraft.
See also
- Dragonair Holidays
- Asia Miles
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- List of Hong Kong companies
External links
| Airlines of Hong Kong |  |
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Categories
Airlines of Hong Kong | Cathay Pacific | Asia Miles | 1985 establishments