Cathay Pacific Is Starting To Look At A Mid-Haul Aircraft Order

Cathay Pacific is looking to order more mid-haul aircraft, shortly after a previous order of 32 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft earlier this summer. According to Ronald Lam, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Cathay Pacific is currently assessing its future fleet requirements and expects to launch a new medium-haul fleet renewal effort in December 2023, per a report by FlightGlobal.

More medium-haul aircraft

Cathay Pacific defines distances between 2,751 miles (4,427 kilometers) and 5,000 mi (8,046 km) as medium to medium-long flights. In November 2022, Lam also told analysts that the airline was looking to order more medium-haul aircraft, according to a report by Reuters. Then, the CEO also noted that the company already has plenty of orders for long-haul aircraft, including the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X.

Read more: Cathay Pacific Reportedly Considering Boeing 777X Freighter

Ch-aviation data showed that the Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)-based carrier operates 12 Airbus A321neo (one inactive) and 51 Airbus A330 aircraft, 13 of which are currently inactive. In addition, its low-cost carrier subsidiary HK Express has 10 Airbus A320neo and two A321neo aircraft in its fleet, excluding other aircraft, such as the Airbus A320ceo or A321ceo.

Notably, Airbus previously listed the range of the A320ceo and A321ceo as 3,350 nautical miles (6,200 km) and 3,200 NM (5,950 km), respectively, with sharklets. The A320neo and A321neo had a listed range of 3,400 NM (6,300 km) and 4,000 NM (7,400 km), respectively.

Read more: Why Boeing Has Winglets And Airbus Has Sharklets

Potential for the Airbus A330neo?

When Cathay Pacific announced its latest A320neo and A321neo order in August 2023, the airline said that it continues to “invest in expanding and modernising its fleet, and growing flight connectivity at the Hong Kong international aviation hub,” with the order bringing the group’s new aircraft deliveries to 70. The 32 A320neo and A321neo aircraft will be delivered by 2029, joining both Cathay Pacific and HK Express’ fleets. At the time, Lam added that the A320neo family aircraft “have been serving Cathay Pacific and HK Express well, allowing us to strengthen the expansion of our Chinese Mainland and regional network for our customers.”

However, its Airbus A330s are aging, with ch-aviation data showing that these aircraft are, on average, 17.2 years old. In addition, the site’s fleet statistics indicated that out of the 424 A330neo aircraft that are built or on order, 174 are assigned to airlines based in Asia. Excluding Middle East-based carriers, AirAsia X, Cebu Pacific Air, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Starlux Airlines, and Thai AirAsia X have a total backlog of 129 A330neo aircraft.

This does not include the 20 Airbus A330neo that Malaysia Airlines has ordered in August 2022. At the time, Izham Ismail, Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said that the A330neo order was “a natural transition from our current A330ceos fleet, but the A330neo will not only provide modernisation to our fleet and enhanced operational efficiency, but also meet environmental targets through reduced fuel-burn per seat while keeping passenger safety and comfort at its core.” Of the 20, MAG will purchase 10 directly from Airbus, while the remaining will be leased from Avolon.

Photo: Omid Behzadpour | Shutterstock

Considering the popularity of the A330neo within the region, Cathay Pacific ordering the A330neo is within the realm of possibility. Popularity is not the only factor, as the airline would also benefit from the cockpit commonality of the A330 and the whole Airbus aircraft family. According to the manufacturer, airlines “can take advantage of all Airbus commonality benefits easily, from reduced pilot, crew and maintenance team training to spares and tooling optimisation.” Furthermore, Airbus also offers special entry-into-service (EIS) packages for operators looking to integrate the A330neo as a new fleet type.

Sources: FlightGlobal, Reuters, ch-aviation