Cathay Dragon (previously Dragonair) is the brand name of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited, a Hong Kong-based international regional airline headquartered at Hong Kong International Airport.
Cathay Dragon was established in 1985 in Hong Kong, and before 2016 it was named Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd or DragonAir for short. The airline was specialized exclusively in scheduled flights within mainland China, to Taiwan and neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
The airline’s fleet consisted of aircrafts of one manufacturer — European aircraft concern Airbus. The number of operated airliners was slightly less than fifty. The route network of Cathay Dragon consisted of more than four dozen destinations.
What is Cathay Dragon?
Cathay Dragon is the name of an air carrier from Hong Kong, which was established in 1985 as Dragonair. The company ceased all operations in 2020, but before that had a fleet of more than 40 aircraft, and operated flights to 44 destinations, mainly in its region.
The original name of the brand was reflected in the previous Dragonair logo. To begin with, there was the word “Dragonair” in an elegant type with tiny serifs. Above, a large maroon dragon could be seen.
When the company adopted a new name, the logo went through a complete overhaul. The updated Cathay Dragon logo is dominated by an abstract symbol, which can be interpreted as a bird or a plane.
The elegant uppercase lettering from the primary logo of Cathay Dragon was set in a geometric serif font with triangular serifs on the ends of bold characters’ bars. The closest typefaces to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Limonata Extended Bold, or Pompei New DemiBold, with some insignificant modifications.
As for the color palette of the Cathay Dragon visual identity, it was composed of dark red and white, a sophisticated and powerful combination, which created a very professional look, evoking a sense of excellence, quality and reliability.