Hongkongers Mourn Slaying Of Dragonair

Aviation fans and other Hongkongers took to social media on Wednesday to express their sadness over the demise of Cathay Dragon, sharing fond memories of the city's first local airline, better known as "Dragonair".

Dragonair was co-founded in 1985 by textile businessman Chao Kuang-piu, shipping magnate Sir Yue-kong Pao, real estate tycoon Henry Fok and a number of Chinese-funded companies, to compete with Cathay.

Many people dismissed the airline at first, as it operated only one flight when it started, with a Boeing 737-200 flying to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

But the carrier's business expanded over the years and it became many people's go-to airline, especially for travel to various mainland cities.

In 1998, a flight operated by Dragonair was the last one to land at the old Kai Tak Airport before it was closed.

"I liked Dragonair a lot and thought its service was better than that of Cathay Pacific. A good brand has been completely destroyed," one person wrote on social media.

Cathay, Citic Pacific and Swire Group became the major shareholders of Dragonair in 1990 before eventually taking it over in 2006.

The carrier's iconic red dragon logo remained unchanged before it was replaced by Cathay Pacific’s brushwing design with a red colouring when it was rebranded in 2016.

Some people posted photos on Wednesday of Dragonair's old aircraft. "Its old logo is better. At first glance, one knows it's Dragonair," one wrote.

Another said she was supposed to be taking a Cathay Dragon flight for a holiday this month but the trip had been cancelled due to the pandemic.

"I can't even take a final flight," she said.