HONG KONG, Mar 8 (AP) -- Dragonair, Hong Kong's No. 2 carrier, said Tuesday it has expanded a code-sharing agreement with Air China Ltd. so that they can sell seats on one another's flights to Beijing.

Under the new agreement, effective March 27, passengers flying with Dragonair will be able to take any of the six daily Air China flights to Beijing in addition to the eight flights operated by Dragonair, the airline said.

"The expanded code-share agreement provides even greater flexibility and choice to our customers," said Dragonair's Chief Executive Stanley Hui.

The two airlines' current agreement already covers the southwestern cities of Chengdu and Chongqing and the northern cities of Dalian and Tianjin, providing their passengers with more flight options on those routes.

Dragonair has been enhancing its co-operation with Chinese carriers as it faced keen competition from Hong Kong's biggest carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, on routes to Beijing.

Cathay only got back into the mainland China market in late 2003 after a 13-year absence, posing a threat to Dragonair, which has long specialized in services between Hong Kong and the mainland.

The airline resumed cargo operations in Shanghai in January and in the southeastern city of Xiamen last month.