Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways is continuing to evaluate the ultra-large Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 but is reiterating that it is not in a hurry to make an order decision. It is meanwhile expressing potential interest in larger variants of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
Oneworld alliance carrier Cathay’s general manager purchasing and aircraft trading Greg Hughes is quoted in the airline’s staff newsletter: “We will continue to evaluate larger aircraft such as the A380 and 748 Intercontinental, but as we have a large fleet of Boeing 747-400s, which will be with us for some years, we feel no need to make a decision on the large aircraft at this time.”
Cathay has for years been seen by Airbus and Boeing as a potential customer for new ultra-large offerings but the airline has said repeatedly that it is not in a hurry to make a decision.
There has been renewed speculation in recent weeks that Cathay may be stepping up its evaluations, however, and Airbus plans to take the A380 to Hong Kong early next month during the Asian Aerospace exhibition.
The airline’s passenger fleet of 87 aircraft currently comprises 24 747-400s. It is due next month to take delivery of its first of 23 leased and purchased Boeing 777-300ERs, which Cathay says will be “the primary long-haul aircraft for the airline until well into the next decade”.
Hughes says the airline may meanwhile be interested in future in larger variants of the A350 and 787. It has long said that both aircraft types are probably too small for its requirements.
In addition to 747-400s, Cathay’s all-widebody fleet also comprises Airbus A330-300s, A340-300s, A340-600s and 777-200/300s. Subsidiary Dragonair operates Airbus A320-family narrowbodies and A330-300s.
“Later versions of the 787 such as the 787-9 will be of interest to us on certain routes but it will not start service until 2011 at the earliest, while Boeing has not yet confirmed whether it will build the 787-10,” says Hughes.
“The A350XWB is a larger family of aircraft than the 787 and the A350-900 and A350-1000 will offer good alternatives for us in the future.”
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Source: Flight Daily News
