Dragonair's passenger fleet rises to 22 aircraft with new Airbus A321

A fifth Airbus A321 will join Dragonair's fleet on September 26, increasing the airline's passenger fleet to 22 aircraft. And it comes one month before a sixth A321 is delivered, at the end of October.

"The latest deliveries come at a time when passenger demand has returned to normal levels and we see good prospects for growth following the lifting of restrictions on individual travel to Hong Kong from Shanghai, Beijing and some major cities in the China mainland," said Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui.

The two single-aisle A321s, both of which are purchased, will operate on the airline's popular Beijing and Shanghai routes. Dragonair currently operates 49 flights weekly to Beijing and 67 flights weekly to Shanghai.

Both aircraft will feature the airline's new-look cabin interior, which includes an inflight video entertainment system in all classes and in-seat power supply for laptops. By the end of the year, three A330s and two A321s will sport the new cabin interiors.

The latest delivery means the average age of the airline's fleet is 4 years.

Both A321s are powered by two V2500 engines from IAE, and feature a dual-class cabin with a seating capacity of 24 passengers in Business Class and 148 in Economy Class.