Hong Kong's Dragonair has inaugurated its first regular service to South Korea with three flights a week to Busan.

It is also the second destination Dragonair has launched since becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific in September last year.

Cathay Pacific is code sharing on the Dragonair service which it is also marketing through its international network, a statement from the airline said.

"We have already set up an office in Busan and have begun recruiting Korean cabin crew in Seoul," said Dragonair CEO Kenny Tang. "All the effort we have been putting into the launch demonstrates the importance of the South Korea market to us."

The flights to Busan use A320 aircraft. Flight KA300 departs from Hong Kong on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1430 hours, arriving in Busan at 1845 hrs. On the return leg, flight KA 301 takes off from Busan on the same days at 1945 hrs, landing in Hong Kong at 2250 hrs.

Dragonair operates a fleet of 28 passenger aircraft to 30 regional destinations including 21 cities in mainland China