Cathay Pacific Group Orders 32 More Airbus A321neos

In early August 2023, Cathay Pacific Group announced its intention to double its Airbus A321neo order. That’s pretty significant, when you consider that Cathay Pacific didn’t even have any narrow body jets a few years ago. There’s now an update, as this order has been finalized.

Cathay Pacific orders 32 more Airbus A321neos

The Cathay Pacific Group has placed a firm order for 32 Airbus A321neo and A320neo aircraft, as it continues to invest in expanding and modernizing its fleet, and growing flight connectivity at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

These additional aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2029, and will join the fleets of both Cathay Pacific and HK Express, primarily serving destinations in mainland China, and elsewhere in Asia. It’s not yet known how the order will be broken down between the A321neo and A320neo, as the airline group has flexibility there.

For context, the Cathay Pacific Group already had 32 Airbus A321neos on order prior to this, meaning that the fleet is being doubled in the coming years.

Here’s how Cathay Pacific CEO Ronald Lam describes this order:

“We are committed to investing in the long-term future of the Group and the Hong Kong international aviation hub, which is expected to grow exponentially with the operation of the Three-Runway System. These aircraft models have been serving Cathay Pacific and HK Express well, allowing us to strengthen the expansion of our Chinese Mainland and regional network for our customers.”

“As we strive towards achieving our vision of becoming one of the world’s greatest service brands, we remain committed to continuously investing in our customer experience. These aircraft feature the latest technological enhancements to provide a quieter, more comfortable and more fuel-efficient journey for our customers.”

How will this Airbus order likely be split?

Historically Cathay Pacific exclusively operated wide body aircraft, but two things have changed in recent years:

• Within the past few years, Cathay Dragon was integrated into Cathay Pacific, and Airbus A321neos had been ordered for Cathay Dragon; Cathay Dragon was a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific that primarily focused on mainland China operations, but maintaining a separate business unit just didn’t prove efficient in the end
• Cathay Pacific acquired HK Express, a low cost carrier based in Hong Kong, in order to expand its product offerings; HK Express exclusively flies narrow body Airbus jets

Of the initial 32 Airbus A321neos that were ordered, 16 are going to Cathay Pacific, while 16 are going to HK Express. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a similar split for the additional order that has now been placed. Cathay Pacific is in a good position in that regard, as the airline can order these planes now, and later decide which carrier to allocate the Airbus jets to, based on market conditions.

In addition to flying Airbus A320neos and A321neos, HK Express also has five A320s and 11 A321s (the non-neo version). I have to imagine those planes will eventually be replaced, and therefore presumably at least half of these planes will go to HK Express, if not more.

I’d also assume that any A320neo orders would go to HK Express, and not Cathay Pacific.

Bottom line

Cathay Pacific Group has placed a significant additional order with Airbus, for 32 Airbus A321neo and A320neo aircraft. These will be used to grow the fleets of both Cathay Pacific and HK Express through 2029. It remains to be seen how the order will be split between those aircraft types, and how they’ll be allocated to the two airlines.

What do you make of this Airbus order from Cathay Pacific?