Dragonair will increase frequencies on services to a number of Mainland China destinations in the summer schedule, effective from March 30 to October 25, 2008. There will also be another destination - the Indian city of Bangalore - added to Dragonair's expanding network.

"Demand for both business and leisure travel continues to grow, particularly to and from Mainland China through Hong Kong," said Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang. "The additional flights will mean there is at least a daily service to all but four of our Mainland destinations, providing passengers with more choice and at the same time boosting Hong Kong's position as the premier gateway for travellers heading to the Mainland."

The 2008 summer schedule will see the number of flights to both Chengdu and Nanjing rise to 14 per week, while services to Changsha, Chongqing, Guilin and Xi'an will raise to daily. The number of flights to Kunming and Wuhan will also be increased - to nine and four per week respectively.

Dragonair will also launch another destination, with a daily service to the Indian information technology hub Bangalore commencing May 1.

"This will be the seventh new destination added to our network since Dragonair became part of the Cathay Pacific Group, and we are very excited about getting a foothold in the important Indian market. The new Bangalore service will attract more business and leisure travellers to and through Hong Kong, giving a further boost to the city's hub role," said Mr. Tang.

Meanwhile, demand on the Sendai route will be met by charter operations during the summer, with the airline anticipating demand to and from the Japanese city to be lower during the coming season.