Dragonair's full fleet to become 'Cathay Dragon'

The Cathay Pacific Group -- which unveiled its subsidiary airline Dragonair rebranded as ‘Cathay Dragon’ last month, as part of a mammoth rebranding strategy announced early this year -- has said that it would accomplish rebranding the carrier’s entire fleet by 2021.

Talking to DH, Cathay Pacific Airways Regional Sales and Marketing Manager (South Asia) Rajesh Menon said, “Of the total 42 aircraft in Dragonair’s fleet, currently, we have four aircraft ready with the new livery and branding in Hong Kong (one A330 and three A320s). The entire fleet will be completely rebranded by 2021.”

The airline boasts of an all-Airbus fleet comprising 15 A320s, eight A321s, and 19 A330s. As part of the overall physical rebranding, Cathay Dragon’s new logo and livery is very similar to that of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific, with its planes featuring the Cathay-style brushwing logo on their tail. Also, uniform designs for ground staff and cabin crew have been changed, while pilots will get new wing badges. Both airlines will have common lounges, a common website, and shared loyalty programmes, however, carrying on with their own distinct personalities.

It was in early 2016, when the group decided to bring about a brand alignment between Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, in a bid to further strengthen the two airlines, following an announcement to rebrand the latter as Cathay Dragon. “Dragonair is recognised in regional markets, especially Mainland China, where it serves 23 destinations. The rebranding helps build the Cathay Pacific brand, while capitalising on the unique connectivity offered by Dragonair in regional markets, and enables Hong Kong to be recognised as a global (transit) hub,” Menon said.

Dragonair became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group in 2006. It must be noted that the number of transit passengers on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon has grown from 1.8 million to five million, and both airlines have increased their annual passenger load from 22.3 million to more than 34 million.

Bengaluru contribution

Cathay Dragon began its India journey from Bengaluru in 2008 as Dragonair, operating seven weekly flights onboard an A330.  

The airline also flies to Kolkata, with six weekly flights, and has seen 12% growth on this sector. The overall load factor for Cathay Dragon in India is 75-80%.