Hong Kong's Dragonair is asking for government approval to add five weekly freighter flights to Taipei, saying its existing capacity is filling up with freight demand between China and Taiwan.

"These services would aim to meet the demand for cargo shipments between Taiwan and the Mainland, which has been growing steadily in recent months," said Dragonair CEO Stanley Hui.

The boost in freighter business comes as Dragonair is stepping up capacity on its passenger schedule to Mainland China, with widebody A330s replacing narrowbody aircraft on routes from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai.

Although some airlines have operated special charter flights between Taiwan and China, direct scheduled flights are not allowed and transit through Hong Kong has become a favored way of bridging the two vibrant economies.