DRAGONAIR ANNOUNCES TRAFFIC FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY

The airline carried 235,774 passengers in the month, compared with 182,703 passengers in February 2001. The rise was due to the busy Lunar New Year holiday falling in the month and the airline's increased capacity. The figure was also 20.17% higher on a month-on-month basis, with 196,206 passengers flown in January 2002.

"The Lunar New Year performance was very good in terms of passenger numbers," said Stanley Hui, Chief Executive Officer of Dragonair. "It shows that the demand for travel remains high in the markets we serve, although people are looking for the best value."

Meanwhile, the airline carried 9,192 tonnes of freight in February, compared with 7,027 tonnes in February 2001. The rise is attributed to expanded capacity and increased frequencies. Month-on-month figures were lower, in line with traditional cargo trends at the Lunar New Year period and at this stage in the year.

"Our cargo operations remain satisfactory," said Mr. Hui. "The first half of the year is usually less busy than the second half."

In the first two months of the year, the amount of cargo carried surged 53.60% compared with the same period in 2001 (20,202 against 13,152). Cumulative passenger numbers for the period were also up, by 9.74% (431,980 in Jan-Feb 2002, compared with 393,651 in Jan-Feb 2001).

Dragonair is a Hong Kong-based airline, operating a fleet of seven A330-A330s, three A321s and eight A320s, in addition to two Boeing 747-300 freighters. The airline's passenger network covers 27 destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, while its cargo network connects the markets of Europe, the Middle East, Japan and China.