KATHMANDU: Dragonair announced new arrangement for its services to Dhaka and Kathmandu starting from October 1 which will offer passengers travelling to and from Nepal a greater number of flights per week to choose from. The night flight to Kathmandu from Hong Kong and the return early morning flight from Kathmandu will both operate via Dhaka. The new arrangement will bring improved service benefits to passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Kathmandu, with the frequency increasing to five times a week from the existing thrice-weekly service. Moreover, the flight will be operated using an A330 aircraft which offers greater capacity for both passengers and cargo. "We are pleased to announce increased frequency for our flights to Kathmandu, which will mean more convenience as well as better service quality for passengers travelling to and from Nepal," said Dragonair CEO Kenny Tang. "The increased capacity will definitely play a part in helping to meet Nepal Tourism Board's target of one million tourists in 2011. The airline will also help increase the number of inbound tours to Nepal via Hong Kong using the extensive worldwide network offered by both Dragonair and sister airline Cathay Pacific," Tang added. The flight schedule under the new arrangement, subject to government approval, is as follows: Dragonair announced that it will launch a new service to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong and the biggest city in the fast-growing Pearl River Delta region, on September 14. The twice-daily service, to be operated by A320 and A321 aircraft, will provide passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Guangzhou with more choice and convenience. At the same time, the new flights will offer improved connectivity via Hong Kong to the rest of the world, enhancing Hong Kong's status as one of the world's premiere international aviation hubs. It is exciting that Guangzhou which extends our network's coverage into the Pearl River Delta. This is one of the most affluent and most economically dynamic regions in Mainland China and is home to a population of 45 million — six times greater than that of Hong Kong. In July 1985, a Boeing 737-200A took off from Hong Kong International Airport bound for Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. The event marked the start of a new chapter in Hong Kong's aviation history, as it was the first commercial flight of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, an airline which was to grow into Hong Kong's international carrier and become known as Dragonair. Dragonair's fleet now comprises 14 wide-bodied A330s, six single-aisle A321s and 10 A320s. The airline's network covers 29 destinations in the world with 17 in Mainland China.