OREANDA-NEWS. March 20, 2012. Dragonair announced that it will resume scheduled services to Xi'an and Guilin, further strengthening Hong Kong's position as a global aviation hub and gateway to Mainland China, reported the press-centre of Dragonair.

A four-flights-weekly service to Xi'an will begin from 1 April, becoming a daily operation from 1 May, while a daily Guilin service commences on 1 May. Both routes will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

"Dragonair is happy to return to these two popular destinations, offering passengers more choice and greater convenience when travelling to Mainland China. The service resumption to Xi'an and Guilin not only demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing our award-winning service to the Mainland, Dragonair's core market, but also reinforces the significance of our home city Hong Kong as an aviation hub and gateway to China," said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer.

"We are looking into the possibility of adding two or three more new destinations in Mainland China and within the region later in the year," Mr Yeung added.

Dragonair will also increase frequencies to three destinations, Ningbo, Qingdao and Okinawa. From 1 May, the number of flights to Ningbo will rise from 10 flights a week to 14, while services to Qingdao will rise from a daily service to 10 flights a week. The Okinawa service will be boosted from twice weekly to four flights a week from 25 March.

In addition, an upgrade to an A330-300 aircraft will boost capacity on a number of services, including Kunming and Guangzhou starting from 25 March, and Xiamen from 1 May.

"By adding more destinations, frequencies and capacity, together with our forward-looking plans for fleet expansion and product development, we aim to reinforce Dragonair's reputation as one of the most highly regarded carriers in the region," Mr Yeung said.

With the resumption of scheduled services to Xi'an and Guilin, Dragonair will serve 19 cities in Mainland China and a total of 35 destinations in its regional network.

Travellers can call the Dragonair reservations hotline at 3193 3888 or contact their local travel agent for details. More information can be found at www.dragonair.com.

Dragonair, an affiliate member of oneworld, is a Hong Kong-based airline operating a fleet of 32 passenger aircraft and serving 33 regional destinations, including 17 cities in Mainland China. Dragonair has been recognised for its product and service quality, and was voted for two consecutive years "World's Best Regional Airline" in the annual World Airline Survey run by Skytrax in 2010 and 2011. Dragonair is part of the Cathay Pacific Group, providing seamless connectivity for passengers to more than 140 cities around the globe.