Cathay Pacific mulls smaller aircraft, business class cuts as Covid-19 crisis remoulds travel

Cathay Pacific Airways is weighing up if it needs smaller aircraft with fewer business class seats, as Covid-19 reshapes travel habits and the airline industry. No immediate changes are on the horizon, according to CEO Augustus Tang Kin-wing, but discussions are ongoing over the company’s restructuring plan, which will set its course for years to come. “What kind of aircraft is going to be a big aircraft or small? Do you need to have a large business class because people perhaps will be more concerned about personal space because of the pandemic or just the opposite? These are the kind of questions we have to wrestle with,” Tang said. He said demand for business and leisure travel would be suppressed at best until a vaccine was found to be effective. Hong Kong’s flag carrier has warned the company required “right-sizing”, including rationalising routes and reviewing noncore assets. The CEO admitted to a staff surplus, in the biggest hint yet that redundancies were likely. Cathay has already downsized its existing order for two Airbus A350-1000s to smaller -900s to save cash. Tang said talks were continuing with Boeing over deferring the delivery of the 777X, due in 2022. The existence of those negotiations were disclosed on July 22.<br/>