On December 2, Dragonair celebrated the relaunch of its scheduled services to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, with a ceremony held at the city's Tribhuvan International Airport. Passengers on the first flight were handed a traditional souvenir and greeted by Lakhe dancers on arrival.

"Nepal is an amazing tourist destination, which I am sure will be a big attraction for travellers from Hong Kong and beyond. Supported by Cathay Pacific's global network, we are confident the new services will draw a considerable number of international tourists through Hong Kong to travel to Nepal," Chief Executive Officer Mr Kenny Tang said.

Welcoming the passengers on the first flight, Mr Rick Symington, Manager - Bangladesh & Nepal said that the new flights will also enable travellers from Nepal to connect to the extensive networks of Dragonair and Cathay Pacific, with visa-free transit to destinations in North Asia, Australia and North America on flights of the two airlines. "Indeed we have already seen an encouraging market response to our services," he added.

Kathmandu is the sixth new destination added to the Dragonair network since the airline became a member of the Cathay Pacific Group last year. Flights are operated four times a week using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The schedule is as follows:

Photograph: A ceremony was held at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport to mark the launch of Dragonair's Kathmandu service. Rick Symington, Manager - Bangladesh and Nepal, Dragonair (first from left); Tom Wright, General Manager, Cathay Pacific Airways, India, Middle East, Africa & Pakistan (fifth from right); Nandini Lahe-Thapa, Director, Nepal Tourism Board, Tourism Marketing & Promotion (fourth from right); and the crew of the first flight.