On December 16, Dragonair celebrated the launch of its new scheduled service to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, with a ceremony held in the city.

The route launch marks Dragonair's entry into the important Philippine market, offering a wider choice of options for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Manila. This is the ninth new destination launched by Dragonair in the last two years.

"The addition of the Manila route underscores Dragonair's long-term commitment to growing its network throughout Asia and, despite the current financial crisis, we remain confident in the long-term prospects for the travel industry in the region," said Dragonair General Manager International Affairs, Maggie Yeung, who officiated at the ceremony to mark the launch of the Manila route.

"Traffic flow and demand between Manila and Hong Kong continues to grow and we strongly believe that the Manila service will benefit Dragonair's development in the long run."

On behalf of Dragonair, Ms Yeung thanked all of those involved in helping to make the route launch a success. To mark the beginning of the new service, passengers on the first flights to and from Manila received a Dragonair key chain as a souvenir.

Dragonair's schedule to and from Manila is as follows:

Photograph: An inaugural ceremony was held to mark the launch of Dragonair's new service to Manila. Pictured at the ceremony are Ms Maggie Yeung, Dragonair General Manager International Affairs (fifth from right); Director Carmelo L. Arcilla, Executive Director of the Civil Aeronautics Board (forth from left); Mr Renato V. Diaz, Board member of the Civil Aeronautics Board (forth from right); Mr Eduardo Kapunan Jr., Deputy Director General for Administration, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (third from right); Ms Anna Chen, Dragonair Chief Representative Philippines (fifth from left).