Cathay known China under names similar to "Cathay", that country was known to the peoples of South-East Asia and India under names similar to "China" (cf. e.g. "Cina" in modern Malay). Meanwhile, in China itself, people usually referred to their nation state based on the name of the ruling dynasty, e.g. "Da Ming Guo" ("the kingdom of the Great Ming"), or as the "Middle Kingdom" ("Zhongguo" 中國); see also Names of China for details. When the Portuguese reached South-East Asia (Afonso de Albuquerque conquering Malacca in 1511) and the southern coast of China (Jorge Álvares reaching the Pearl River estuary in
Cathay Dragon new livery first appeared on an Airbus A330-300 (B-HYQ). Cathay Pacific operates an all Airbus fleet in a mix of single-aisle and wide-body aircraft. The fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2018): Cathay Dragon shares two loyalty programs with its parent company, Cathay Pacific: The Marco Polo Club (The Club), a loyalty program, and Asia Miles, a travel reward program. Members of The Club are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members. Food and beverages served on flights from Hong Kong are provided by LSG Lufthansa Service Hong Kong Ltd, a Cathay Dragon associate. A variety of regional