Cathay Pacific has selected the Airbus A330-900 as its new mid-sized widebody replacement, after placing a firm order for 30 new aircraft with rights for another 30.
Deliveries of the new A330-900s will run from 2028 until end-2031, says Cathay in a filing.
The new A330s are expected to replace its existing fleet of A330-300s. Cathay, which operates 43 -300s, adds that the new jets “will principally serve [Cathay’s] Asia regional destinations while also providing the flexibility to serve longer-haul destinations at a later stage”.
The deal is worth about $11 billion at list prices, though the airline acknowledges it has received “significant price concessions” for the purchase.
Cathay adds that payment for the new aircraft will be made in eight instalments, with the first seven to take place before the first aircraft is delivered, and the final “substantial” instalment to be paid after delivery.
The mid-sized fleet renewal campaign was first floated in November 2022, and Lam confirmed Cathay was looking at new mid-sized aircraft during a FlightGlobal interview a year later.
The deal caps off a series of orders the Oneworld carrier has placed for new Airbus jets in the past year. In December 2023, it placed a $2.7 billion order for six A350 freighters, while in September, it signed for 32 A321neo/A320neo narrowbodies, firming up options from a 2017 purchase agreement.
The order also makes Cathay the A330-900’s newest operator in Asia-Pacific. Other carriers with the type in their fleet include Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines and low-cost operator Cebu Pacific. It also comes amid a string of A330-900 orders that Airbus has notched in the past month.
At the Farnborough air show in July, Vietnamese operator Vietjet firmed orders for 20 A330neos, while Virgin Atlantic placed a follow-on order for seven more A330-900s, bringing its orderbook to 19 aircraft.
Story updated with A330-900 delivery timeline.
