Dragonair today held a reception to promote the launch of its new scheduled services to Fukuoka and Sendai in Japan. The new services, effective October 28, will further strengthen ties between Hong Kong and Japan, with Dragonair becoming the only airline to offer scheduled flights between Sendai and Hong Kong, and the only airline to offer nonstop scheduled flights between Fukuoka and Hong Kong.

Officiating at the ceremony was Dragonair's Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang, joined by guests of honour Shigekazu Sato, Consul-General and Ambassador, Consulate General of Japan; Kazunari Taguchi, Executive Director, Japan National Tourist Organisation Hong Kong Office; and Kunio Kano, Regional Director - North Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board.

"We are very excited and proud about being able to provide services to these two attractive destinations, adding more connectivity and convenience for those travelling between Hong Kong and Japan, and further strengthening business and trade ties between the two places," said Mr. Tang at the ceremony. "The launch of these new services represents a significant development for Dragonair, further underscoring our long-term commitment to growing the network and boosting the Hong Kong hub."

Speaking at the reception, Mr. Shigekazu Sato said: "This is great news for us all. I am sure that the new services by Dragonair will further promote friendly ties between Japan and Hong Kong."

Congratulating Dragonair on its new services, Mr. Kazunari Taguchi said: "Japan has become one of the popular overseas travel destinations among Hong Kong people. This new service of Dragonair makes it much more convenient for Hong Kong travellers to visit Japan along with the new gateways to Kyushu and Tohoku areas where there are full of tourist attractions. We are glad and really look forward to the increase of visitors travelling to these areas."

Mr. Kunio Kano said: "This is certainly wonderful news for tourism industries of both Hong Kong and Japan. Thanks to Dragonair's new direct flight service, we now have more opportunities to boost traffic from these two key regions. This will also help the Hong Kong Tourism Board to strengthen two-way tourism between Hong Kong and Japan generally."

The new services to Fukuoka and Sendai will provide Hong Kong travellers with more opportunities to experience the delights of Japan, and at the same time give more Japanese people the chance to discover the many attractions of Hong Kong.

Fukuoka and Sendai will be the third and fourth new destinations to be added to the Dragonair network since the airline became a member of the Cathay Pacific Group last year. Flights to Fukuoka will operate daily and to Sendai three times a week, using Airbus A321 and Airbus A320 aircraft respectively.

Fukuoka (FUK)

Sendai (SDJ)

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang speaks at the reception
to promote the launch of Dragonair's new scheduled services
to Fukuoka and Sendai in Japan.

Performing a traditional Japanese sake barrel-breaking ceremony to
celebrate the launch of Dragonair's new Japan services are (from left):
Executive Director, Japan National Tourist Organisation Hong Kong Office, Kazunari Taguchi;
Consul-General and Ambassador, Consulate General of Japan, Shigekazu Sato;
Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang; and
Regional Director - North Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Kunio Kano.

Dragonair, which will become an affiliate member of oneworld on November 1, is a Hong Kong-based airline operating a fleet of 31 passenger aircraft and seven freighters serving 31 regional destinations, including 21 cities in Mainland China. The airline has topped the "Best Airline - China" category in the respected Skytrax passenger survey for the past six years, highlighting its Mainland China expertise. Dragonair is part of the Cathay Pacific Group, providing seamless connectivity for passengers to more than 100 cities around the globe.

Dragonair web site address: www.dragonair.com