Cathay Pacific plans more aircraft orders across fleet, CEO says

RIO DE JANEIRO: Cathay Pacific is considering additional orders for widebody, narrowbody and freighter aircraft as it looks to expand rapidly over the next decade, taking advantage of a third runway at its Hong Kong hub, Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said on Sunday (Jun 7).

Lam said this could include fresh orders and exercising options to expand previous orders. Cathay already has more than 100 new aircraft on order, including long-delayed Boeing long-haul planes, Airbus freighters and smaller Airbus A320neo passenger jets for its low-cost HK Express subsidiary.

“There will be more orders for sure,” Lam told reporters on the sidelines of an aviation summit in Rio de Janeiro.

“The next 10 years is a golden opportunity for Cathay Group’s expansion,” Lam added, citing the ramping up of flights at Hong Kong airport’s third runway.

Lam said HK Express would maintain an Airbus-only fleet, ruling out the purchase of short-haul aircraft from rival Boeing.

He added that he does not expect Cathay Pacific to cut further flight capacity despite the surge in fuel costs from the Iran war, and that the airline remains on track to achieve 10 percent capacity growth this year.