Hong Kong's Dragonair is deferring delivery of its last of nine new Airbus A320 family aircraft and has shelved the planned launch of new services to Japan and South Korea because of the Asian economic downturn.
The airline is undertaking a fleet roll-over with International Lease Finance (ILFC), with its seven International Aero Engines V2500-A1-powered A320s being replaced by new V2500-A5-powered Airbus narrowbodies. It is also taking two new A320s directly from Airbus - for a total of seven A320s and two A321s. The airline originally planned to take all nine new aircraft as A320s but has recently exercised an option to upgrade two aircraft to larger A321s.
Dragonair says it will delay the delivery of its ninth and final A320 from ILFC, originally scheduled for June 1999, to mid-2000. The airline has postponed the start of services to Pusan and Niigata and halted joint services with Malaysia Airlines to Kuching.
Source: Flight International
