Cathay Pacific will start increasing the number of economy seats in its Boeing 777-300s and 777-300ERs next month.
The first aircraft will enter the hangar in April, with the reconfiguration of six aircraft to be completed before the summer peak. The airline will adopt a 3-4-3 seating configuration in economy, up from the current 3-3-3 configuration.
By the end of the first quarter in 2019, more than half of the 48 -300ERs and 17 -300s would have been reconfigured. By the end of the year, all 65 aircraft would have been reconfigured, says the airline's chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo.
The new seats will be 17.2in wide with a 32in seat pitch. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Cathay’s -300s and -300ERs are now 18.1in wide with a pitch of 32in.
With the 10-abreast seating, Cathay's regional 777s will have 40 additional seats, growing the economy cabin from 356 to 396. Its three-class -300ERs will meanwhile have 28 seats added, growing the cabin to 296 seats, while its four-class -300ERs will add 19 seats for a 201 total in economy.
Cathay had previously said that the reconfiguration will in part help the airline deliver on its target of growing capacity by 4-5% per annum, considering the capacity constraints at Hong Kong International airport.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
