Cathay Dragon’s 35-year run comes to an end as coronavirus claims one more victim

Airline started life with single Boeing flying to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia in 1985

Bought by Cathay Pacific and rebranded in 2016, its iconic red dragon logo will never be seen in the skies over Hong Kong again

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An Airbus Industrie's A330 flown by Dragonair. Photo: File

Published: 10:00am, 22 Oct 2020Updated: 10:41am, 22 Oct 2020

The journey of Cathay Dragon began with a single flight departing Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport in July 1985 bound for Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

From that humble beginning, the upstart carrier grew into a success story, drawing regional business away from the much larger Cathay Pacific, which finally swallowed it up in 2006, and on Wednesday closed the operation as part of a do-or-die restructuring.

Textile magnate Chow Kuang-piu set up what was first known as Dragonair with other investors, including shipping tycoon Pao Yue-kong in May 1985.

The daughter of the carrier’s founder, Diana Chou, told the Post the closure was “a tragic end for a Hong Kong flag carrier”.

Dragonair celebrates the first Airbus A320 in its fleet in March 1993. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

At one time, the airline grew to become a serious challenger to Cathay Pacific, with both fighting in court for flying rights to and from mainland China.

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