Cathay Pacific studying new aircraft order for regional routes

Cathay Pacific is considering renewing its aging fleet of aircraft, particularly for short- and medium-haul trips, potentially setting up a battle between Airbus and Boeing for a lucrative round of new orders. CEO Augustus Tang compared the renewal of regional jets to Cathay’s original purchase of Boeing’s 777 long-haul aircraft, which became the backbone of its intercontinental fleet, eventually growing to 53 aircraft. “We are constantly looking at the fleet requirements,” Tang said Wednesday. “We haven’t come up with a decision as to when we will be going to the market, but this is a topic we are looking at very closely, particularly the regional fleet.” Any order would need to take into account fleet growth and different types of aircraft required for the expansion of Hong Kong airport, which is adding a third runway that will be complete by the end of 2024, Tang said. He described the fleet decision as “crucial,” but declined to say how big it might be. Cathay operates about twice as many Airbus than Boeing aircraft across the group’s 234 passenger and freighter aircraft. In the widebody segment, Airbus make up 60% of jets plying regional and long-haul trips. Hong Kong’s largest airline has 51 A330s and 17 Boeing 777-300s that flew mainly to India, Australia and North and Southeast Asian cities before Covid forced a drastic scaling back of its network. At least two dozen of the aircraft will be 20 years old or more by 2024. The renewal could open up a bidding war between Airbus’s A330neos or A350s and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. “We are looking at every possibility,” Tang said. “We are not ruling out anything. The suppliers would love to know exactly what we want, but put that aside, it is bound to be an Airbus or Boeing variant or both,” he said. Boeing’s 737 Max narrowbody would also be considered, the Cathay CEO added.<br/>