OREANDA-NEWS. October 23, 2012. Dragonair announced it will launch a new four-times weekly service to Yangon, the largest city and main economic hub of Myanmar, commencing on 9 January 2013 (subject to government approval). The new service will enhance Dragonair's presence in the region and provide a significant boost to both leisure and business traffic between Hong Kong and Myanmar, reported the press-centre of Dragonair.

Yangon will become the 10th destination to be launched or resumed by Dragonair since April 2012. Rich in history and culture, Yangon is a fascinating city to visit with its hybrid of local, British, Chinese and Indian influences, and it is home to the largest number of original colonial buildings in the region. Most of Myanmar's commercial activities are centred in Yangon, reinforcing the city's importance as a business and communications hub.

The airline will operate the new service with Airbus A321 aircraft, departing Hong Kong every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As well as connecting passengers from around the world into Myanmar, the latest destination launch will offer passengers from Myanmar greater choice and convenience when connecting to Dragonair's Mainland China network or the vast international network of its sister airline, Cathay Pacific Airways, through the Hong Kong hub.

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Patrick Yeung said: "Yangon is an important addition to Dragonair's expanding network in Asia and launching this new destination will further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a leading aviation hub. We see tremendous potential in this market with both tourism and commercial activities rapidly gaining momentum. We look forward to carrying more passengers between Hong Kong and Myanmar and helping to promote ties between the two places."

In addition to the new Yangon service, Dragonair will also be increasing frequencies to a number of destinations in its winter schedule, effective from 28 October. Services to Phnom Penh will rise from seven to 10 flights per week, while one extra flight has been added to Kota Kinabalu, making a total of six weekly flights to this popular Malaysian holiday destination. Dragonair has also been operating 12 flights per week to Phuket since July, up from the previous 10 weekly flights. In addition, the airline is set to resume services to Haikou on Hainan Island, with a daily flight commencing 28 October.

Dragonair, an affiliate member of oneworld, is a Hong Kong-based airline operating a fleet of 36 passenger aircraft and serving 39 regional destinations, including 19 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 160 cities around the globe.