(HONG KONG) Dragonair today announced that it will resume service to Fukuoka, further strengthening ties between Hong Kong and Japan.

The daily Fukuoka service will begin operation on 31 October, operated by Airbus A320 aircraft.

"Dragonair will be the only airline operating direct non-stop service between Hong Kong and Fukuoka, offering passengers more choice and greater convenience when travelling to Japan - one of the most popular destinations for tourists from Hong Kong," says Dragonair Chief Executive Officer James Tong.

"The resumption of Fukuoka service helps strengthen Dragonair's presence in the region and represents an important step forward for Dragonair as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We are very excited about being able to reintroduce our award-winning world-class services to the Japanese market," Mr Tong added.

The flight schedules are as follows*:

* All times local

Dragonair will also increase the frequency of its service between Hong Kong and Kathmandu from 1 September, moving from three to six flights per week (all days except Friday). The service, operated by an A330-300, goes via Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the direction from Hong Kong to Kathmandu.

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.

Dragonair web site address: www.dragonair.com