Cathay interested in bigger Airbus A350 for Miami non-stop

Cathay Pacific Airways said it’s talking with Airbus Group about the planemaker’s proposal for a bigger version of the newest A350 wide-body, a model which needs to attract a strong set of initial customers to get the go ahead. Cathay, which already has 48 A350s on order, is keen on a so-called stretched variant that would allow it serve destinations such as Miami nonstop from its base in Hong Kong, CEO Ivan Chu said. Asia’s largest international airline by passengers took the first of 22 325-seat A350-900s it has on order last weekend, and is also buying 26 366-seat A350-1000s. An even bigger plane, unofficially dubbed the A350-8000, could have more seats, or trade off capacity against an increase in range. While Cathay Pacific will use the A350-1000 to serve the east and west coasts of the U.S., the plane couldn’t reach Miami or some potential destinations in Latin America, Chu said. The airline is also liaising with Rolls-Royce about a more powerful upgrade of the plane’s XWB engine that would be required to gain the extra range.<br/>