The airline - which has denied a report that Temasek Holdings of Singapore and Shin Corp have shares in the carrier - also has purchase rights for a further 20 Boeing 777-300ERs. The Hong Kong company said it would expand more long-haul services, particularly from Asia to the United States and Europe.

General manager for South East Asia, Patrick Yeung, said the airline would fly a total of about 100 aircraft this year.

He said the airline had introduced long-haul destinations, including Hong Kong-California with three flights a day and Hong Kong-London with four flights a day. It has also added more frequent flights from Hong Kong to Toronto and Vancouver. Cathay will increase flights to San Francisco in the near future.

Apart from adding regular frequencies, the airline now operates a cargo service to Dallas, Atlanta and Shanghai. It is studying another freight flight to Guangzhou.

Yueng added that the political chaos in Thailand had forced a few passengers from South Asia to cancel their flights to Bangkok. However, the number of passengers from Thailand to overseas destinations, including Hong Kong, is increasing.

"Cathay's advanced bookings are still confirmed," said Yeung.

The airline operates 35 flights per week between Hong Kong and Bangkok, which connect to Singapore, India, Dubai and Sri Lanka.

The airline is troubled by a misleading article in a local newspaper reporting that Temasek Holdings and Shin Corp have shares in the carrier.

Cathay has sent a letter to the newspaper in question, confirming there is no shareholding relationship between it and Temasek and Shin.

The major shareholders of Cathay Pacific are Swire Pacific and Citic Pacific.

The airline yesterday announced that its turnover had increased 19.1 per cent to a record 50 billion Hong Kong dollars (Bt252 billion) last year. Fuel costs increased 67.2 per cent to HK$15 billion.

Passenger revenue increased 14 per cent to a record HK$30 billion. The airline carried 15.4 million passengers in 2005, up from 13.87 million in 2004.

Yongyut Lujintanon, sales and marketing manager for Thailand and Burma, said the airline would continue the promotion its "Hong Kong Disneyland Package" with a cost starting at Bt19,300 to lure Thais to Hong Kong through the year.

Moreover, the airline is holding a photo contest called "It's a Little Thing to Remember" as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. The winner will receive a Disneyland package. 

Suchat Sritama

The Nation