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Danny Lee

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.
Cathay Dragon employees shocked, shaken by decision to axe Hong Kong airline
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”.

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.
In 1990, Cathay, together with Citic Pacific and Swire Group, bought 89 per cent of Dragonair.
For the next six years, Cathay had a hand in part-owning and managing the smaller airline.
Cathay has take-it-or-leave-it deal for pilots: salary and benefit cuts, or the door
The plucky carrier also managed to fight off adversity over the years such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003.
Three years later, Cathay took it over for HK$8.22 billion, following a major shareholding realignment involving parent Swire Pacific and the Air China Group.
By 2016, the name was changed to Cathay Dragon and HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) spent promoting the brand.


Dragonair’s iconic red dragon logo – widely recognised on the mainland – was replaced with a wing logo, bringing it in line with the parent’s company visual style.
But the company could not survive the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused severe losses across the industry, with many leading brands falling victim to the global drop in demand for air travel.
It’s safe to say that we won’t, sadly, be seeing the return of the Cathay Dragon brand.
Cathay Pacific chairman Patrick Healy
Question marks about the fate of the brand started to appear last year after Cathay’s takeover of low-cost airline HK Express.
Cathay Dragon, with 48 planes in its fleet, flew to 51 destinations, including 23 routes on the mainland. What survives the cull of routes amid the pandemic will be absorbed by Cathay Pacific HK Express.

At times, the carrier found it difficult to shake off being mistakenly known as the low-cost airline of Cathay Pacific.
The closure does, however, leave a legacy for the Hong Kong aviation industry by creating a pool of local talent.
The carrier managed to achieve an even split among local and foreign-sourced pilots, according to insiders, far better than Cathay Pacific, which is reliant on expatriates.

Even in the event of a recovery, there would be no revival of the airline brand, Cathay Pacific chairman Patrick Healy said.
Nearly all Cathay Dragon staff to go as part of airline’s 5,900 job cuts
“While it is very sad to bid farewell to a 35-year-old brand and all it stands for, the reality is that in these straitened times, we must focus on a single world-leading premium travel brand,” Healy said.
“It’s safe to say that we won’t, sadly, be seeing the return of the Cathay Dragon brand.”


‘Technical issue’ forces Hong Kong-bound Cathay flight to return to Kaohsiung

Hong Kong Lunar New Year parade to feature Labubu, wishing tree on floats

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific rebrands Dragonair subsidiary in 2016 – from the SCMP archive

Cathay flights from Hong Kong to the US cancelled ahead of monster winter storm

Cathay Pacific

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

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

Dragon dancing celebrate the first airbus A320 in Dragonair fleet. 11MAR93 SCMP/K. Y. Cheng

CROWDS OF PEOPLE ARE WATCHING ON PLANE LANDING TO KAI TAK AIRPORT OP TOP OF THE CARPARK AS ITS CLOSURE NEARS.    14 JUNE 98

Cathay jobs cut

Cathay axes record 5,300 Hong Kong jobs and closes regional airline in HK$2.2 billion survival plan

Cathay Pacific Airways has revealed the scale of cuts to its global workforce. Photo: Felix Wong

JPG for ONLINE

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. employees wheel luggage at the Hong Kong International Airport  in Chek Lap Kok.. 21OCT20 SCMP / K. Y. Cheng

Cathay Pacific ‘optimistically’ predicts flying less than a quarter of pre-coronavirus flights for next eight months, with hopes hingeing on vaccine

Cathay Pacific Airways has delivered its business update for September. Photo: Felix Wong

Cathay Pacific Airways employees leaves the HQ building at Cathay Pacific City, the company's headquarters.    05OCT20     SCMP / Felix Wong

Nearly all Cathay Dragon staff to lose jobs in cuts, as boss apologises and says focus must be on ‘world-leading’ Cathay Pacific

Cathay Dragon ceases operations on Wednesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Cathay Pacific Airways employees leaves the HQ building at Cathay Pacific City, the company's headquarters. 21OCT20 SCMP / Felix Wong

Controversy over free ‘nowhere’ flight in Hong Kong for influencers amid looming Cathay Pacific job cuts, environmental backlash

HK Express planes grounded at the Hong Kong International Airport in March. Photo: Robert Ng

Hong Kong Express Airways (HK Express) check-in counter at the Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok. 20MAR20 SCMP / Sam Tsang

Image of a HK Express aircraft taking off at the Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok. Cathay Pacific Airways announces a HK$4.93 billion deal to acquire low-cost carrier HK Express today. 27MAR19 SCMP / Sam Tsang

News

Hong Kong

Transport

Coronavirus

Economic Impact


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



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.


Cathay Dragon

Hong Kong aviation