It looks like Cathay Pacific is going on another aircraft shopping spree, as the oneworld carrier plans for its long term future.
Cathay Pacific considers Airbus A350, Boeing 787
Danny Lee at Bloomberg reports on how Cathay Pacific has submitted a request for proposal (RFP) with Airbus and Boeing, as it looks to place a multi-billion dollar aircraft order. Specifically, the Hong Kong-based airline is looking for aircraft that would be delivered in the 2030s, so this is a long term aircraft order.
Cathay Pacific is reportedly interested in either picking up more Airbus A350s, ordering Boeing 787s for the first time, or even adding to its Boeing 777 order book, though that jet is yet to be certified. Both Airbus and Boeing have most of their delivery slots taken up through the end of this decade, so it’s important for Cathay Pacific to place an order ASAP.
It’s not known exactly how many jets Cathay Pacific is looking to order. It’s probably not a huge number of firm orders (I mean, at least compared to carriers like Emirates or Riyadh Air), but there may also be a fair number of options.
While Cathay Pacific had a really tough time at the start of the pandemic, the situation has improved considerably, and the company now has excellent financial performance again. Furthermore, with Hong Kong’s three runway system operational, there’s lots of room to grow.
What wide body jet makes sense for Cathay Pacific?
For some context on Cathay Pacific’s fleet, the airline currently has the following jets:
- 16 Airbus A321neos, used for regional routes
- 43 Airbus A330-300s, used primarily for regional routes, but also for some medium haul flights
- 52 Boeing 777s, most of which are long haul 777-300ERs, but there are also some regional 777-300s
- 48 Airbus A350s, split between the A350-900 and A350-1000 variant
Beyond that, Cathay Pacific also has the following aircraft on order:
- 24 Airbus A321neos, which will be used to expand regional capacity, and to introduce higher frequency service
- 30 Airbus A330-900neos, which will be used to replace the older A330-300s, and to also grow capacity in high demand regional markets
- 21 Boeing 777-9s on order, which will eventually be used as the carrier’s new flagship aircraft, replacing older 777s; these planes will feature a new first class and new business class product
So prior to this upcoming order, it seems like Cathay Pacific’s long term plan is to primarily fly A321neos, A330-900neos, A350s (-900s and -1000s), and 777-9s.
How do I see this playing out? Here are a few thoughts:
- In terms of fleet commonality, it would of course make sense to order more Airbus A350s and/or Boeing 777Xs, so that not yet another aircraft type is added to the fleet
- In terms of regional capacity, it seems like the plan is for the 40 A321neos and 30 A330-900neos to essentially replace the 43 A330-300s and 16 777-300s; however, there’s still a significant capacity gap there, especially with some of the A321neos going to HK Express
- Assuming Cathay Pacific has faith in the 777X eventually flying, it sure seems like the airline could use more than 21 of those aircraft, since that plane could easily be used to most major long haul gateways
- The A350 is a phenomenal plane, so picking up more of those seems like a no-brainer
So we’ll see how this plays out. The 787 doesn’t make much sense to me at all, unless Boeing offers Cathay Pacific a killer deal. Then again, I’m not sure Boeing would even do that, since there’s plenty of demand for the 787, and it’s the 777X that’s not selling as well.
Bottom line
Cathay Pacific has approached both Airbus and Boeing, as the airline hopes to place another wide body aircraft order, with deliveries in the 2030s. Cathay Pacific is reportedly deciding between the A350, 787, and 777X.
There are a lot of factors that impact which planes airlines ultimately end up ordering, though logically speaking, the complexity of adding the 787 to the fleet doesn’t make much sense to me (which isn’t to say it won’t happen, as plenty of airlines do just that). Meanwhile I think ordering more 777Xs would be logical, especially as Hong Kong’s capacity keeps increasing. Furthermore, more A350s never hurt anyone, right? 😉
What do you expect to see from Cathay Pacific’s upcoming aircraft order?
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