Dragonair today announced that the airline's Special Leave Scheme, one of a series of cost-cutting measures introduced last week, has received an encouraging response. More than three-quarters of staff in the Dragonair network have already agreed to join the scheme to help the airline get through the current difficult times.

Under the Special Leave Scheme, which will help to preserve cash during the current economic downturn, staff will be asked to take unpaid leave varying from one to four weeks according to their seniority and rank.

Dragonair staff were invited to give their consent to the scheme from Monday, April 20. The breakdown of the response rate among different staff groups at Dragonair, as of noon today, is as follows:

The airline also announced that the deadline for the consent period for the Special Leave Scheme will be extended to midnight on Sunday, May 10 (Hong Kong time). The extension has been made in consideration of crew on roster duty and staff currently on leave or duty travel who may need more time to consider the scheme before giving consent.

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang said: "This positive response reflects a real sense of team spirit among the Dragonair family. I would like to thank staff for supporting the Company by helping us to preserve cash during this very difficult time. The Special Leave Scheme is one of the major measures being taken to help the Company through the challenging time we now face, and support from each staff member is crucial to its success."

Dragonair web site address: www.dragonair.com