(HONG KONG) Dragonair held a special cocktail reception last night as the climax of celebrations for its 25th anniversary. The reception was held on the same day, 25 years ago, that the airline operated its first flight from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Tsang officiated at the cocktail reception, together with Dragonair's Chairman Tony Tyler and Chief Executive Officer James Tong. More than 800 guests, including government officials and aviation and travel trade partners, were in attendance.

Among those present on the evening were Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau, Director General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Wang Bing Xin, Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council Leung Chun Ying, Swire Pacific Chairman Christopher Pratt, Director-General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo, Airport Authority Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui and Executive Director, Airport Operations Howard Eng, Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairman James Tien and Executive Director Anthony Lau, and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Chief Operating Officer Kenny Tang.

Speaking at the event, Dragonair Chairman Tony Tyler said: "This is a momentous year for Dragonair as we celebrate a quarter-of-a-century of continued development and achievement in what is an extremely challenging industry. Dragonair has certainly grown in leaps and bounds. This year we were named 'World's Best Regional Airline' in the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards for 2010 - a very timely gift for our 25th birthday!

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire Dragonair team who worked so hard to make the airline what it is today. And, of course, heartfelt thanks go to all our loyal customers and partners in the travel trade who have been with Dragonair all the way over the past 25 years," Mr Tyler added.

Comments and recollections from Dragonair's staff and customers were shared through slideshows and videos during the function. The dedication shown by Dragonair staff in delivering world-class service was highly appreciated by customers.

The cocktail reception was held at the InterContinental Hong Kong and to celebrate the anniversary the hotel created a special cocktail for the event, the "Golden Dragon". The drink was created by SPOON by Alain Ducasse at the InterContinental Hong Kong, with auspicious elements and meanings to commemorate Dragonair's silver jubilee.

Dragonair yesterday shared its anniversary happiness with passengers through the "Lucky 25 Instant Win" lucky draw, giving customers purchasing Dragonair tickets online over a 25-hour period the chance to win their money back. On the same day the airline also offered specially created 25th anniversary Haagen-Dazs ice-cream bars on selected flights, while every passenger making an inflight purchase received a free 15ml bottle of Calvin Klein ck One Eau de Toilette fragrance.

A series of activities to commemorate Dragonair's 25th anniversary has been running over the course of the year, including new inflight menus designed by renowned Chinese and Western restaurants, a specially designed aircraft livery, super saver promotions, a dedicated anniversary website and an enhanced series of inflight services including more duty-free sales items, monthly lucky draws and the launch of a home delivery service.

Dragonair Chairman Tony Tyler (second from right), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Acting Chief Executive John Tsang (second from left), John Slosar, Dragonair Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee (first from left), and James Tong, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer (first from right) celebrated Dragonair's 25th anniversary at a cocktail reception held last night

Dragonair Chairman Tony Tyler (fourth from left) and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Acting Chief Executive John Tsang (second from right) were joined by Rita Lau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (third from left), Christopher Pratt, Swire Pacific Chairman (first from right), John Slosar, Dragonair Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee (second from left), and James Tong, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer (first from left), to officiate at the cake-cutting ceremony

Dragonair Chairman Tony Tyler (third from left), John Slosar, Dragonair Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee (second from right), and James Tong, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer (second from left) presented a souvenir to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Acting Chief Executive John Tsang (third from right)

The officiating guests with other special guests and Dragonair directors and management team made a toast to wish Dragonair continued success. Front from left: Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Chief Operating Officer Kenny Tang, Director General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government Wang Bing Xin, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer James Tong, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau, Dragonair Chairman Tony Tyler, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Acting Chief Executive John Tsang, Dragonair Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee John Slosar and Director-General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo Back: Dragonair Swire Pacific Chairman Christopher Pratt (third from right) together with Dragonair management team

Dragonair, an affiliate member of oneworld, is a Hong Kong-based airline operating a fleet of 31 passenger aircraft and serving 29 regional destinations, including 17 cities in Mainland China. Dragonair has been recognised for its product and service quality, and was voted "World's Best Regional Airline" in the annual World Airline Survey run by Skytrax in 2010. Dragonair is part of the Cathay Pacific Group, providing seamless connectivity for passengers to more than 110 cities around the globe.

Note to editor: High-quality photos are available for download from www.dragonair.com, under About Dragonair / Media Centre.

Dragonair web site address: www.dragonair.com