=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2004/03/15/f= inancial0822EST0025.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, March 15, 2004 (AP) Report: Hong Kong's Dragonair plans to expand passenger and freighter fleet (03-15) 05:22 PST HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong carrier Dragonair will spend $1.3 billion on 12 new passenger and cargo planes in the next four years to boost its services, a newspaper reported. The carrier has bought an Airbus A330, which will be delivered Friday, a= nd plans to lease six more, which will arrive in 2005 and 2006, The Standard newspaper reported Monday. The paper quoted the airline's chief executive, Stanley Hui. Dragonair will also add five cargo planes by 2008, which will include Boeing 747-400s, according to the report. The report said Dragonair currently has 26 planes, three of them for cargo. The new passenger aircraft will be used for Dragonair's mainland China routes and new services to Tokyo, Manila, Seoul and Sydney, the paper said. The cargo planes will operate new flights to Europe and possibly the United States, it said. Bevis Yiu, a spokeswoman for Dragonair, declined immediate comment on the report. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 AP