DOWNTOWN AIRLINES: United States (1972-1975). Downtown Airlines is established at New York City in the early summer of 1972 to provide the first scheduled floatplane services in the contiguous U. S. by a commuter airline. Employing float-equipped Piper PA-23 Aztecs and de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otters, Downtown inaugurates daily roundtrips in July, linking the riverfront ramp at Wall Street Pier 8 with Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. Service is also extended to a Potomac River facility at Washington, D. C.
Operations are maintained until financial difficulty forces the company to shut its doors three years to the month later, on July 27, 1975.
DRAGON AIRWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1953-1957). Dragon Airways, Ltd. is formed in early 1953 to operate ad hoc charter flights from Pwllheli airfield with a de Havilland DH 89A leased from Murray Chown Aviation; flights begin in June. The Dragon Rapide is lost is a crash at Pwllheli in July and the company suspends flight operations until delivery is taken of a purchased DH 89A, christened Oboe Baker, on September 10.
The company is registered as an airline on January 16, 1954 and moves its base to Liverpool Airport. During the month, a Miles M.65 Gemini 1A is acquired for light personnel charter, along with another DH 89A, which is named Peter Tare. Although scheduled routes are sought and obtained from the Air Transport Licensing Board (ATLB), summer work continues to be primarily nonscheduled.
In May 1955, a DH 114 Heron 1B is purchased and christened The Commander; it is followed by a Heron 2, The Conqueror, in June. These are employed to inaugurate scheduled flights during the summer, including Stoke to Isle of Man, Liverpool to Glasgow (Renfrew), Newcastle to Glasgow and Manchester, and a weekly flight from Newcastle to Copenhagen and twice weekly to Hamburg. The Newcastle flights are undertaken on behalf of Hunting-Clan Air Transport, Ltd. The operating base is transferred to Newcastle on November 1.
At this point, the Oboe Baker is sold and the carrier is purchased by Hunting-Clan Air Transport, Ltd., Elder Dempster, and Tyne-Tees Steam Shipping Company and assigned to take over Hunting-Clan Air Transport, Ltd.’s Newcastle-based network as a Northern Division. A third Heron is purchased in December and named The Centurian.
The Peter Tare is sold in February 1956. In June a Vickers Viking is purchased from Field Aircraft Services. It is employed to fly twice weekly Newcastle to Paris via Liverpool, thrice weekly Newcastle to Belfast, thrice weekly Newcastle to London, and weekly Newcastle to Bergen. At the end of the summer, only the Paris run remains unsuspended.
Continuing financial losses lead to the carrier’s acquisition by Britavia in February 1957; it is now assigned to continue serving as a northern division, for Silver City Airways, Ltd.
DRAGONAIR (HONG KONG DRAGON AIRLINES [PTY.], LTD.): 22/F Devon House, Taikoo Place, 979 Kings Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong; Phone 852 590-1328; Fax 852 590-1333; Http://www. dragonair. com; Code KA; Year Founded 1985. On April 1, 1985, the Hong Kong-Macau International Investment (HKMII) forms this new entrant to provide nonscheduled service into the People’s Republic of China; equity is also held by the Bank of China (via China Cheer, 22%) and China Resources (15%). A Boeing 737-2S3A, leased from Guiness Peat Aviation, arrives on June 19. Chao Kuang-plu is chairman, with Stephen Miller as president; scheduled routes are sought to Beijing and Shanghai. The company receives an Air Operator’s Certificate on July 24 and initiates its first service, a charter, to Kota Kinabalu on July 26.
During the summer, a dispute arises with Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd. over routes and capacity into the PRC and in August and September, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) refuses charter rights. Dragonair reapplies, requesting six additional destinations: Guangzhou, Haihou, Hanzhou, Xiamen, Xian, and Zhangjiang; the CAD allows the carrier to seek China’s permission first, in October. Two additional points, Guillin and Tranjin, are added to the petition placed before the CAD.
Also in October, Sir Yue Kong Pao, owner of Worldwide Shipping, purchases a 30% share for $7.69 million and names himself CEO. The new leader’s sons-in-law, Peter Woo and Dr. Helmut Sohmen, are appointed to the board of directors, with the latter also becoming managing director; former CEO Miller is named general manager.
The airline receives permission from the PRC for its first mainland charter flight and service is inaugurated to Xiamen on November 29. In December, the CAD grants permission for the carrier to begin scheduled flights to its requested PRC points (except Beijing and Shanghai); however, operations are delayed due to interpretations of the Hong Kong-U. K. and U. K.-PRC bilateral air treaties.
Scheduled and nonscheduled London and scheduled Thailand service rights are applied for in January 1986. Charters to Guangzhou commence on April 14. In May, scheduled rights to the U. S., Amsterdam, and Manchester are also petitioned. In the same month, permission is given for scheduled services to three Thai cities—pending Thai government approval. On June 26, additional charter services are started with a Boeing 737-2L9A, including a semi-regular frequency to Hangzhou. A July hearing on the airline’s long-haul requests before the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) results in petition rejections.
In the fall, the application for routes to Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Houston are withdrawn and replaced by one seeking 14 additional routes to China and four to Japan. Charters are started to Guilin on October 6 and a second B-737-2L9A is delivered late in the month. Nanjing becomes a Chinese destination on December 12 and, on December 16 and 18 respectively, weekly B-737-2L9A frequencies commence from Hong Kong to the Thai cities of Chiangmai and Phuket.
Enplanements for the year total 60,000.
Early in 1987, orders are placed for two McDonnell Douglas MD-11s. On January 25, a sixth charter route is opened into China, to the city of Kunming. The next day, the Hong Kong ATLA grants the previous fall’s application for routes to 14 Chinese communities, plus 4 in Japan, and 4 more in Thailand, Guam, and Kathmandu in Nepal.
In March, a third B-737-2L9A joins the fleet and on May 15 the company joins IATA, becoming the first Hong Kong-based airline admitted to this international industry organization. Former Northwest Airlines and MarkAir official James Foster becomes chief general manager in August and the MD-11 orders are cancelled in September.
In November, Dragonair applies to the U. S. DOT for permission to initiate flights from Hong Kong to Guam. Less than a week after the application is submitted, it is withdrawn, as the carrier elects to concentrate its efforts into the Chinese mainland and Asia. Charters are inaugurated in December to Kagoshima, Oita, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki, Japan.
Passenger boardings accelerate to 165,000. Revenues total HK$4.5 million, but expenses are high, and a net HK$7.3-million loss is suffered.
In 1988, flights to 10 PRC destinations continue, although service to Guangzhou is dropped because of low traffic loads. Stephen Miller, the founder and commercial general manager, resigns in March. To avoid restrictions on advertising, the carrier establishes an in-house tour packager that can mount its own publicity and, employing its B-737-2L9As, commences service from Hong Kong to Tianjin, China and Kagoshima, Japan, in May.
Weekly flights to Dalian begin in June with flights to Guangzhou restored at the same time. Hong Kong to Kathmandu flights are started in September, while thrice weekly, scheduled roundtrips are initiated to Pattaya, in Thailand.
Customer bookings for the year jump 54% to 250,000.
Airline employment is increased by 17% in 1989 to 344 and the fleet now includes five B-737-2L9As.
With permission from both the Chinese and Hong Kong civil aviation authorities, the company, in April, adds a third weekly frequency to its nonscheduled twice-weekly flights to both Beijing and Shanghai. During the same month, the company is successfully able to circumvent regulations preventing its charter flights from being publicly advertised by the simple expedient of creating its own Dragonair Holidays package tour subsidiary, which is allowed to announce the airline’s flights.
Late in the year, the Swire Group, parent of local rival Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd., purchases a 33.3% shareholding that includes contracts for management, administrative, and technical services. China Guangda International Trust and Investment Corporation, backed by the PRC, owns 55.7% of the remaining share capital. Involvement of the mainland government allows Dragonair to convert many of its “regularly chartered” routes into the mainland to “regularly scheduled” status.
As a result of the Chinese suppression of student pro-democracy demonstrations at Beijing in early June, the carrier’s traffic into China declines dramatically. Consequently, the carrier in July and August must drop 16 of its 31 flights to the 10 points served in the PRC; only Tianjin is, however, actually deleted from the route network. To counter the loss, frequencies are added to the Thai holiday centers of Pattaya and Phuket.
Operations into China return to normal in the fall and, in November, Sir Yue K. Pao sells his 37.8% controlling interest back to the Chao family. Pao’s son-in-law Dr. Helmut Sohmen resigns as managing director and is replaced by the new chairman, Ronald Chao, Chao Kuang-piu’s son.
In December, Swire Group purchases 30% shareholding, ending forever the new entrant’s chance of becoming a serious competitor. An additional 5% is also taken weeks later and the overall arrangement is valued at $125 million, of which a third is invested in Dragonair’s four B-737-200s. Simultaneously, Hong Kong-based CITIC, with backing from China, increases its shareholding to 38%, while founder Chao’s investment drops to 22%.
Overall passenger boardings for the year advance by 32.8% to 340,350; 465,000 FTKs are also operated.
The workforce grows 54.9% in 1990 to 533 and the fleet is increased by the addition of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 1.
In January, Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd. assumes management control under a 15-year contract; its longtime Vice President Jerry Penwarden is seconded over to take control of day-to-day operations as chief operating officer. Although the two airlines remain separate, Drag-onair concentrates fully on charter operations into mainland China and along other secondary routes in Asia. In March, the company is designated by the British government to provide scheduled services between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
Three months later, the carrier employs a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 1 leased from Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd., but painted in its own livery, to take over Cathay’s scheduled services into China—four frequencies per week to Beijing and five to Shanghai. In addition, four of Dragonair’s routes are switched from charter to scheduled: Dallan, Kunming, Hangzhou, and Xiamen. Chief Operating Officer Penwarden resigns in November and is succeeded by Cathay’s general manager-cargo, Simon Heale. Customer bookings skyrocket 84.5% to 628,803 and FTKs reach 5.22 million.
The payroll is cut by 37.3% in 1991 to 334 and the fleet now includes 4 B-737-2L9As, 1 B-737-2S3, and 1 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar leased from Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd.
In February, Dragonair links with Cathay’s CUPID reservations system. In April, it takes an equity stake in the flight kitchen operated by LSG Lufthansa Service Hong Kong (Pty.), Ltd., which will increase over the next nine years to 31.94% shareholding. During May, Phuket Unwinder Holiday packages, good through October 31, are introduced for Hong Kong residents.
Also during the spring, service is inaugurated to the PRC cities of Chengdu and Tianjin.
In December, the carrier commits to replacing its B-737-200A fleet with Airbus Industrie A320-232s.
Passenger boardings increase by 20.6% to 758,571 and freight rises 10.3% to 5.76 million FTKs.
Early in 1992, CITIC, the foreign investment division of the People’s Republic of China, increases its shareholding to 48%, while Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd.’s interest declines to 35%.
In March, a 2.6% is taken in the Asian computerized reservations system consortium, Abacus. Frequencies are increased to daily on the routes to Beijing and Xiamen while service from Hong Kong to Shanghai grows to six per week.
A new logo and livery are introduced late in the year when the first Airbus Industrie A320-232 arrives.
Customer bookings increase another 24.5% to 944,647 and cargo rises 20.1% to 6.92 million FTKs.
In 1993, Chairman Kuang Pin Chao and Chief Operating Officer Heale oversee a workforce of 771 and fly 4 A320-232s, 1 B-737-2S3, and 2 TriStar 1s chartered from Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd. Flights begin to Phnom Penh and Ningbo, and follow the January 18 suspension of flights to Kathmandu. Other destinations served include Beijing, Changsa, Chengdu, Dalian, Guilin, Haikou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningho, Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xian, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Kota Kinabalu, Dhaka, Kagoshima, Hiroshima, and Sendai.
A second TriStar 1 is leased from Cathay in July and, in October, cost and revenue sharing is started with Malaysia Airlines, Ltd. (MAS) on routes from Hong Kong to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. The fifth of seven A320-232s arrives in November and allows retirement of the B-737-2S3.
Statistics are reported through September and show passenger boardings up 32.4% to 911,415 and freight ahead 42.7% to 6.8 million FTKs.
Only one person leaves the company in 1994, with no replacement. Philip Chen succeeds Heale as chief operating officer on February 1. A total of 14 cities are served in China, including 7 under scheduled authority.
Two A330-342s are chartered from the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) in May to replace the two L-1011s. In September, cost and revenue sharing begins with Royal Brunei Airlines on a route from Hong Kong to Bandar Seri Begawan.
Traffic figures are reported through November and show customer bookings up 25.9% to 1,447,395 and freight up 68.2% to 15.03 million FTKs.
Airline employment grows by 10.4% in 1995 to 850.
In March, the dormant CAAC (The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China) subsidiary China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC-2) announces that it will begin a rival airline in Hong Kong before the British colony is handed back to the PRC in 1997.
During the last week of April, CNAC applies for a scheduled license to operate service into Hong Kong as complement to the charter flights into Kai Tak Airport already made with aircraft leased from China Southwest Airlines Company, Ltd. Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd., Dragonair’s parent, bitterly opposes the PRC move, even though CNAC is a 10% shareholder in Cathay.
On May 22, the first of two A330-342s arrives at Hong Kong under charter from ILFC. While the company awaits clearance to employ it on routes to the Chinese mainland, the twin-engine aircraft is placed on the route to Kota Kinabalu. Meanwhile, two company pilots, under Drago-nair’s Cross Crew Qualification program, become the first to be triplerated for the A320, A330, and A340.
A330-342 flights from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Beijing are finally allowed to begin on June 5. During the fall, the second A330-342s is delivered and the leased TriStars are returned to Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd.
Passenger boardings inch up 2.8% to 1,618,510 while cargo does much better, growing to 24.76 million FTKs.
The workforce is increased a huge 42% in 1996 to 1,207 and the leased fleet includes 7 A320-232s and 2 A330-342s.
The PRC expands its stake in Hong Kong’s major airlines during the last week of April. Under a stock offering arrangement worked out between Swire Pacific (Pty.), Ltd. and China’s foreign investment firm, CITIC, Swire sells out its majority stake in Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd. , while retaining its management contract. It turns over 35% controlling interest in Dragonair (Pty.), Ltd. along with the right for the Chinese to appoint their own management team.
At the same time it surrenders majority control Swire Pacific/Cathay loses its control of Dragonair (Pty.), Ltd. Under the same Cathay agreement, China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC-2) takes over the British company’s subsidiary with a 35.86% majority stake. For this,
CNAC, the former flying-arm of CAAC (The General Administration
Of Civil Aviation of China), pays HK$1.97 billion ($254.8 million), including HK$971.1 million ($125.6 million) each to Swire Pacific and CITIC and $4 million to the founding Chao family. Swire Pacific’s stake drops from 43.16% to 25.50%, that of CITIC falls from 46.15% to 28.50%, that of the Chao family from 5.57% to 5.02%; public interest of 5.12% remains unchanged.
A third A330-342 is chartered from ILFC in late May and is employed, beginning in June, to inaugurate the company’s 15th PRC gateway, Quingdao. Also in June, Dragonair is granted authority by the Beijing government to operate from Hong Kong to five additional Chinese markets, including Tsingtao and Shantou.
Twice-weekly frequencies to Chengdu are also to be increased on July 1 when the new routes are initiated. Following the PRC’s approval of the new Hong Kong-Taiwan air services agreement, Dragonair, on August 1, launches thrice-daily A330-342 roundtrips are initiated between Hong Kong and the port city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.
During the first week of September, the company pleads guilty before a Hong Kong court to the illegal transport of missile parts and a launcher for the PRC’s China National Aerotechnology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC). Claiming the components en route to Israel were mislabeled prior to their placement aboard a company aircraft, the company is, nevertheless, required to pay a HK$10,360 fine.
The company joins with Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. on October 16 to provide a new through check-in service for passengers taking a Lufthansa flight to Hong Kong and traveling on to any of Dragonair’s destinations. On October 24, Dragonair confirms plans to acquire as many as eight more Airbus Industrie aircraft; details will be announced later.
Air Hong Kong, Ltd. Chief Operating Officer Stanley Hui is chosen by the board of directors on November 13 to become the new CEO on February 1. The next day, the company joins with CAAC (The Civil Aviation Administration of China) to offer through check-in services for passengers travelling into China from Hong Kong.
Enplanements surge 20.6% to 1,951,936 and 34.9 million FTKs are operated, a 40.9% boost.
The employee population is reduced by 2.2% in 1997 to 1,181.
A sixth A330-342 is ordered on January 15; it will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700s.
Stanley Hui, chief operating officer of Air Hong Kong, Ltd., succeeds Philip Chen as CEO on February 1.
An agreement is signed in February with Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. that allows passengers arriving at Hong Kong to check through to their final destination. Similar accords are reached during the first quarter with Air France and Alitalia, S. p.A.
On April 23, twice-weekly A320-232 roundtrips commence from Hong Kong to Chongqing, a commercial metropolis in the upper Yangtze region and the principal city of Sichuan; it is the company’s 16th PRC market.
While en route from Hong Kong to the Malaysian tourist destination of Kota Kinabalu on May 23, a company A340-342 suffers an in-flight shutdown of one of its Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines; the flight is diverted to Subic Bay in the Philippines. All of the company’s A340-342s, along with those of Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd. and Garuda Indonesia Airways are grounded on June 24 as a precautionary measure.
While its Trent 700s are repaired, Dragonair operates an Airbus A300B4-605R leased from China Eastern Airlines Company, Ltd. between May 26 and June 7. The borrowed aircraft allows the company to minimize disruptions and by employing it with the other units of its fleet, Dragonair is able to maintain 90% of its flights. Following reinstatement of the A330 fleet on June 5, the company is also able to restore its convenient passenger check-in services on June 8.
In a well-publicized media event, 13 giant turtles, 8 rescued from poachers by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department and 5 reared in Hong Kong, are flown back to the island of Borneo on June 10 via Flight 61 to Kota Kinabalu.
A fifth A330-342 is received on June 21; A330s now serve on the high density routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Kaohsiung. Also on June 21, a drawing is announced in which 25 lucky winners and their companions will win free roundtrips to Beijing on July 1. The drawing is held on June 24.
This year, traffic figures are only available through June. They show customer bookings up 9.9% to 987,900 and cargo up 39.6% to 20.6 million FTKs. Bookings for the July 1 political handover of the British colony to the PRC are not affected. Following that event, final management control of the airline passes to China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC-2) and Dragonair’s chief operating officer, Philip Chen, becomes deputy managing director of Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd.
As a result of the chaos following Hun Sen’s coup in Cambodia and the fighting at and near Phnom Penh’s Pochentong Airport, the company stops flying into the beleaguered capital from Hong Kong late in the second week of July. Also during July, an in-house cargo sales department is established.
Algernon Yau is appointed general manager-planning and international affairs on August 1 while Ronnie Choi becomes general manager-customer services.
During the first week of August, officials from CNAC-2 and Drago-nair announce that they will jointly construct a $6.9-million office building at Hong Kong’s new Chek Lap Kok Airport, which is scheduled to open the following April.
Pains are taken to assure the world that CNAC-2 will not take over Cathay Pacific Airways (Pty.), Ltd.; however, Zhang Xianlin, CNAC-2’s vice president does note that the possibility exists of leveraging its 35.86% interest in Dragonair (Pty.), Ltd. via a listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
An agreement is signed with the Hong Kong Airport Authority on August 7 for the construction of a new headquarters at Chek Lap Kok.
A major fleet expansion, potentially the largest investment in the airline’s history, is announced on August 14. Under an agreement signed with ILFC, the company will replace its single-aisle A320 fleet with new, upgraded A320s over the next several years. The plan also confirms the purchase directly from Airbus Industrie of an additional A330-342 and two A320-232s.
Due to the reopening of Pochentong Airport at Phnom Penh, Drago-nair is able to resume its twice-daily roundtrips to the Cambodian capital on September 16. Twice-weekly A320-232 return flights to Wuhan commence on October 2. Also in October, CNAC-2 plans to make a 30% initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Shareholding will be sold in Dragonair, Jarine Air Services, and a property investment company on the island.
The crash of regional stock markets at the end of the month forces CNAC to postpone its 30% initial public offering, which it had hoped to start trading in Hong Kong markets at the beginning of November.
It is reported at the end of the month that, since January, the carrier has transported 31,959 tons of cargo, a 43.3% increase over the same period a year earlier.
Lead manager Peregrine Capital, Ltd. is able to work its way around the former Crown Colony’s fiscal problems and launch the IPO in early December. It is oversubscribed 17 times and brings in HK$613 million (U. S.$79 million).
In cooperation with the Salvation Army, an A330-342 delivers a 2,000-kg. “care” package to Beijing on January 15, 1998 for distribution to victims of the previous week’s earthquake in Hebei Province.
Daily A320-232 roundtrips begin on February 25 from Hong Kong to Fuzhou, the capital of coastal Fujian Province, China. Fuzhou is the 27th destination added to the company’s regional route network and the airline’s 18th destination in mainland China.
A 10-year aviator with the company, Ms. Rosa Chak becomes Drag-onair’s first female captain on February 28; she will continue pilot duties, flying an A330-342.
A second new A320-232 is delivered on March 1. The carrier’s first Beijing office opens on April 28.
The “First into the Future” drawing contest for young people is announced on May 25. The winners will be given complementary seats on the first departure in July from the new Chek Lap Kok Airport.
On May 27, Dragonair announces a special educational travel package to Beijing to be offered during the summer. The flights, which will depart to the Chinese capital on July 19, July 26, August 2, and August 9, will offer travelers a two-week opportunity to learn Mandarin (Putonghua) at Beijing University. The next day, a third new A320-231 is received.
Two A320-232s make their first takeoff and landing at the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok on June 14 as part of the final, full-scale trial of the facility before its July opening. An agreement is signed with CAE Electronics, Ltd. on June 16 for the purchase of a technically advanced A320 Full Flight Simulator, which will be delivered during the year 2000.
On June 23, the company announces the winners of its “First into the Future” drawing contest, all of whom are 8-10 years of age. The first of six purchased A320-232s is received on June 24.
On July 7, 26 local young artists, winners of the “First into the Future” drawing competition, together with pop singer Leo Ku, are flown to Haikou aboard an A320-231 on the company’s first service from the new Chek Lap Kok Airport.
A joint earth breaking ceremony is held with CNAC-2 on July 16 for the carrier’s new headquarters building at the airport
On August 18, Toshiaki Taniai is named general manager-marketing and sales.
A 759-sq.-m. passenger lounge is opened at the new Chek Lap Kok Airport on September 7.
An agreement is signed with the Philippines National Bank Holdings on September 29 for the wet-lease of an A320-231. The Dragonair aircraft, beginning on October 1, operates essential domestic routes from Manila to Bacolod and Cagayan three times a day. The service will continue for several weeks. On October 18, a fifth new A320-232 is received.
All Dragonair flights become nonsmoking on November 1. A new downtown office is opened in the COSCO Tower on December 9.
Enplanements for the 12 months decline 2.9% to 2.1 million.
Another leased A320-232 is received on February 1, 1999. The fleet now includes 11 of the type, together with 6 A330-342s. Thrice-weekly A330-342 roundtrips begin on March 4 between Hong Kong and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A fourth daily A320-232 roundtrip is added on March 28. The same day, 3 additional weekly A330-342 roundtrips, for a total of 17, are added to Beijing schedule through October 30. Two additional A320-232 services are simultaneously provided to Kunming.
The first A321-231 arrives on April 9; it will be followed by a second on June 5. On May 1, weekly service from Hong Kong to Tianjin is temporarily suspended, as are twice-weekly flights to Ningbo. Also in May, a Dragonair flight from Shanghai becomes the first scheduled service to touch down on the new second runway at Hong Kong International Airport.
Weekly A320-232 return charters are launched on June 17 between Hong Kong and Da Nang, Vietnam.
In September, the carrier joins Asia Miles, the region’s leading frequent flyer program. On September 16, the company’s flight schedule is heavily affected by the passing of Typhoon York. One service is diverted to Kao-hsiung and eight flights are cancelled.
The company’s booming air cargo business reports its best month ever in September with 6,000 tons flown during the 30-day period.
Dragonair donates HK$750,000 on October 11 to support relief work in Taiwan following the recent devastating earthquake there.
During the fourth quarter, the nine-month-old cargo division establishes cargo service teams in Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, and Hangzhou.
Passenger boardings climb 6.8% to 2.21 million, while 83.54 million FTKs are operated.
Airline employment at the beginning of 2000 stands at 1,222, a 5% increase over the previous 12 months.
A tragedy 110 nm. E of Chek Lap Kok Airport is narrowly averted on January 22 when Dragonair Flight 437, an A330-342 preparing to land at the Hong Kong facility after a service from Kao-hsiung, narrowly avoids a collision with Silk Air (Pty.), Ltd. Flight 928, an A320-232 taking off for the continuation of a service from Singapore to Xiamen, in SE China. Before Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alarms allow evasive action, the aircraft are apart by approximately 1.3 nm laterally and 900 ft. vertically.
Under terms of a new air service agreement between Hong Kong and Beijing, Dragonair’s regular charter flights to Changsha, Guilin, Haikou, Nanjing, and Wuhan are converted into scheduled services on February 3 Also during the first two weeks of the month, extra services and capacity are added to meet the demand for travel over the Lunar New Year period. Firm orders are placed for five A320-232s and an A330-243 on February 23, while options are also taken on two more of the latter type.
Twice-weekly Airbus return service is inaugurated on April 6 from Hong Kong to the resort community of Sanya, in China’s Hainan Province. The community is the airline’s 17th mainland destination. All regular flights on Dragonair’s network become scheduled as of March 26. A third dual-cabin A321-231 joins the fleet on May 15.
To accommodate rising summer demand for services to the mainland, weekly return frequencies on several routes from Hong Kong are increased on June 1: to Chengdu (3 to 4), to Fuzhou (4 to 5), to Qingdao (3 to 4), to Xian (2 to 3), to Beijing (21 to 25), and to Shanghai (28 to 32).
The company moves into its purpose-built headquarters at Chek Lap Kok on June 26. Dragonair House also features a fully equipped Flight Training Center. On July 28, employing a B-747-200F under an ACMI contract from Atlas Air, Dragonair inaugurates its first international freighter operation. Thrice-weekly return Jumbojet freighter flights link Hong Kong with Dubai, Amsterdam, and Manchester.
Another midair collision is avoided by 500 ft. vertical distance near Guangzhou on August 8, when the TCAS aboard a company A321-231, en route to Beijing from Hong Kong, alerts its crew to the nearby presence of a China Southern Airlines Company, Ltd. B-757-21B arriving at Guangzhou. No injuries are reported and both aircraft successfully complete their flights; two Chinese traffic controllers are, however, suspended over the incident.
On August 10, employing a B-747-200F under an ACMI contract from Atlas Air, the carrier inaugurates weekly all-cargo roundtrips between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Twice-weekly A320-232 roundtrips begin on October 29 from Hong Kong to Kathmandu, Nepal.
Yet another near miss is reported on October 20 when TCAS sounds aboard a Dragonair A330-342 on approach to Beijing with 320 passengers. The Airbus is able to pull up and avoid an unidentified B-737.
In early November, two B-747-312s are purchased from Singapore Airlines, Ltd. for conversion into freighters.
DRENAIR, S. A.: Spain (1991-1996). Drenair is established at Madrid in 1990 to offer nonscheduled executive passenger and express services throughout the nation and region. Revenue services commence with a fleet made up of 6 Grumman G-159 Gulfstream Is. A seventh Gulf-stream I is added in 1994. Flights cease in 1996.
DRUK AIR (DRUK AIR CORPORATION/ROYAL BHUTAN AIRLINES): P. O. Box 209, Doybum Lam (Old Bhutan Hotel, Lower Metihang, Thimphu, Bhutan; Phone 974 (2) 22215; Fax 974 (2) 22775; Http://www. drukair. com; Code KB; Year Founded 1981.
King Jigme Singye Wangchuk’s government establishes this national carrier on April 1, 1981. The airline is provided with a five-person board of directors, chaired by HRH Princess Ashi Sonam Wangchuk. With 50% assistance from the UN, a $2-million Dornier Do-228-200 is ordered. Personnel are recruited, facilities prepared, and practice flights made with two Fokker F.27-100s leased from Indian Airlines Corporation. Initial nonscheduled services with the Dutch-made turboprops commence late in the year, linking the capital of Thimphu with Bagdo-gra and Gauhati. The West German turboprop is delivered to Managing Director Ugyen Namgyel’s carrier late in 1982.
Do-228-200 revenue flights commence on February 12, 1983 between Paro Airport and Calcutta.
During 1984-1986, charter and government service flights are added as a second Dornier joins the fleet.
Services are maintained in 1987 and 1988; during the latter year, a $28.56-million British Aerospace BAe 146 is ordered (the largest contract ever concluded by the Kingdom of Bhutan) and Bangkok becomes a new destination.
In December 1989, the BAe-146-100 is acquired and the Dorniers are withdrawn. Druk Air becomes the only airline with a one-plane fleet flying international services.
Operations continue apace in 1990 and, in 1991, a total of 18,108 passengers are transported.
In December 1992, a second BAe-146-100 is added, allowing the Dorniers to be sold. Like its predecessor, the new aircraft is placed into service on international routes to Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Thailand.
In 1993, the new chairman, HE Lyonpo T. Tobgyel, and the managing director, Dasho Sonam Tshering, oversee a workforce of 100. Their fleet comprises 2 BAe 146-100s and flights link Paro with Bangkok, Calcutta, Dhaka, Delhi, and Kathmandu. Charter services are also provided. One BAe 146-100 is withdrawn in 1994.
Enplanements total 28,812 in 1995.
Airline employment is increased by 30.9% in 1996 to 144 and both of the BAe 146-100s operated in 1993 are back in service.
Passenger boardings soar 17.6% to 34,966.
Destinations visited in 1997-2000 include Bangkok, Calcutta, Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Paro, and Yangon. On April 14 of the latter year, an order is placed for two Avro RJX85s, which will be delivered in November 2001 and January 2002. Druk is the first carrier to order the new BAe 146 derivative, which will be identifiable chiefly by its elongated engine nacelles. When they arrive, they will offer direct service between Bhutan and Hong Kong and Bangkok (currently served via Calcutta or Dhaka).
DRUMMOND ISLAND AIR: United States (1989-1991). With a base at Pellston, Michigan Airways is purchased by James C. Bailey and Bruce Barda on July 1, 1989, reformed, and renamed. Employing the de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter acquired in the takeover, Drummond continues its services to Mackinac Island and a route from Alpena to Detroit via East Tawas and Saginaw.
Daily roundtrips are maintained until January 1991 when the commuter, in serious fiscal difficulty, goes out of business.
DRUSTVO ZA VAZDUSHI SAOBRACAZ AD. See AEROPUT
DTAANGOLAAIRLINES, S. A.: Angola (1939-1973). Following the success of Aero Club of Angola’s weekly DH 87 Hornet Moth experimental mail service from Luanda to Pointe Noire, the Portuguese Minister of Colonies, in September 1938, establishes the domestic carrier Divisao de Exploracao dos Transportes Aereos de Angola (DTA) at Nova Lisboa. It is established as a division of the Ports, Railways, and Transport Authority of Portuguese West Africa. Funds are made available to General Manager Joaquim de Almedia Baltazar for the purchase of 3 de Havilland DH 89A Dragon Rapides and 2 Junkers Ju-52/3ms.
While awaiting the arrival of its new flight equipment in 1939, DTA relies upon the DH 85 Leopard Moth and Piper J3 Cubs of the Aero Club of Angola to operate nonscheduled flights. With the outbreak of World War II, it is learned that the German transports will not be available.
The arrival of the Dragon Rapides allows regularly scheduled domestic services commence on July 7, 1940; the main route runs from Benguela to Pointe Noire in the French Congo via Lobito and Luanda, with a connection to Nova Lisboa. Travelers can transfer to other aircraft and reach the Portuguese capital of Lisbon within six days.
Cabinda becomes the northern terminus of service in 1941; other destinations visited include Lobito, Luanda, Mocamedes, Nova Lisboa, and Pointe-Noire. Two Stinson SR Reliants arrive in 1944 and orders are placed for war surplus Douglas DC-3s (C-47s converted to civil standard) in 1945.
Three DC-3s enter service in 1946, allowing the launch of a route to Kinshasa. Four Beech 18s arrive before the end of the year, at which point all of the colony’s major communities are served.
During 1947-1971, the domestic network is maintained and expanded somewhat and services are started to several neighboring states in southwestern Africa; the system’s overall network is increased to
7.000 unduplicated miles. Destinations visited from Luanda include Lobito, Leopoldville, Malange, Porto Amboim, Novo Redondo, Nova Lisboa, Benguela, Mocamedes, Santa de Bandiera, Porto Alexandre, Pointe-Noire, Ambriz, Ambrizette, Toto, Sozaire, Cabinda, Ponta Negra, Lourenco Marques, Kinshasa, and Sao Tome. During the 1960s as the situation in the Belgian Congo deteriorates, services to Pointe-Noire and Kinshasa are withdrawn.
Late in this period, the fleet grows to include 3 Fokker F.27-200 Friendships, 4 Beech 18s (sold to the Portuguese Air Force in 1963), and 6 DC-3s. One of the latter type had been involved in the company’s first fatal accident when it was lost in a crash near Bocoio on July 18, 1950 (nine dead).
Enplanements gradually rise, passing 41,500 in 1960, to an average of
150.000 per year by the end of the decade.
Although little is recorded concerning the airline’s operations, it is known that DTA is not immune to acts of aerial terrorism. On June 4, 1969, a DC-3 with 11 passengers and en route from Ambrizete to San Antonio is taken over by three armed hijackers, who divert the aircraft to Pointe-Noire. En route from Luanda to Sa da Bandera, with a stopover in Lobito, on May 1, 1972, an F.27-200 with 6 crew and 19 passengers overshoots the runway at Lobito Airport and splashes into the sea 3 km. from the end of the runway (22 dead).
The carrier is reorganized on October 1, 1973 and is renamed TAAG Angolan Airlines, S. A.
DUCOR AIR TRANSPORT: Liberia (1964-1974). Ducor Air Transport is established at Monrovia in 1964 to offer air taxi and charter service to domestic destinations, as well as communities in bordering countries. Operations are begun and continue throughout the company’s history with a single Dornier Do 27Q. Liberia National Airlines and Ducor Air Transport are merged in 1974 to form Air Liberia.
DUNCAN AVIATION: United States (1969-1972). Duncan Aviation, an aircraft leasing and brokerage firm based at Lincoln, Nebraska, establishes a scheduled air taxi division in 1969 with which to provide local services.
Beech 18 passenger and cargo flights are maintained until 1972.
World History
