Hong Kong-based airline Dragonair said on Thursday that it will increase capacity to Beijing and Shanghai in its winter schedule, which begins on Oct. 30, 2005, while continuing to give travelers a choice of eight and 15 to 16 flights a day, respectively, to the cities.

"We will operate more of our larger A330s on flights to the cities of Beijing and Shanghai and maintain frequencies at summer schedule levels," said CEO Stanley Hui. At present, some services operate with A320 and A321 aircraft.

"We already operate a high level of daily frequencies to these important Mainland cities, providing travelers with a wide choice of convenient flying options. The use of more A330s will also raise Business Class capacity on the routes."

Passenger services to Hangzhou will also see capacity increase, while five of the other Mainland cities will see frequencies reduced, in line with the lower market demand over the winter season, it said.

Dragonair Cargo, meanwhile, plans to operate five additional flights a week to Taipei in the winter schedule, subject to authority approval.

"These services would aim to meet the demand for cargo shipments between Taiwan and the Mainland, which has been growing steadily in recent months," said Hui.

According to the airline, the winter timetable is valid from Oct. 30, 2005 to March 25, 2006.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2005)