On Aug. 5, Dragonair announced that it will launch a new daily flight to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, on Oct. 26, 2008. Operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, the new service will serve to strengthen business and tourism ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam.

An economic and cultural hub, Hanoi is also one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations. In addition to carrying passengers from Hong Kong, Dragonair expects to carry business and leisure travellers from North Asia and long-haul markets such as North America, Australia and New Zealand to and from Hanoi.

"We are excited about entering this dynamic market with its fast-growing economy and rapid growth in tourist traffic. Adding Hanoi as our latest destination represents another important step forward for Dragonair, helping to further expand our network of niche destinations in Asia," said Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang.

"Using Hong Kong's hub advantage, we can provide business and leisure travellers with excellent connections to Dragonair's extensive network of destinations in Mainland China as well as the international network of our sister airline Cathay Pacific."

The flight schedule for the new service, subject to government approval, is as follows:

Hanoi (HAN)

The schedule is designed to provide a variety of travel choices to optimise connectivity. Hanoi is the eighth new destination to be launched since Dragonair became part of the Cathay Pacific Group.