Cathay Pacific Group announced Thursday, January 28, that sister airline Dragonair will change its name to Cathay Dragon. The two airlines will continue to operate under their own license, separately.
In doing so, the Cathay Pacific Group aims to take advantage of Cathay Pacific’s international brand recognition and Dragonair’s network to Mainland China; one of the world’s fastest growing markets. Since 2006, the year Dragonair became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, passenger numbers have grown to more than seven million in 2015. Together, the flight companies achieved a total of 34 million passengers last year.
Cathay owes this growth primarily to routing their international passengers to and from China, regional and long-haul destinations, through Hong Kong Airport. “We are truly building a unique Hong Kong success story where our city is a leading international airline hub and gateway to and from destinations in Mainland China. This name change will sharpen our competitive advantage by offering an attractive, Cathay-leading brand that provides the assurance of a consistent, high-quality customer experience,” said Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Ivan Chu.
Through a large-scale international marketing campaign later this year, Cathay Pacific Group aims to increase Cathay Dragon brand awareness.
