Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific said on Wednesday it would buy up to 60 Airbus A330-900 jets as it seeks to recover from Covid and reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers in the new year.
Cathay Pacific made the announcement as it reported a decline in profits in the first half of this year, for the first time in four years in 2023.
The airline did not disclose the total purchase price, but said it received “very good price concessions” on the base price of about $11 billion from European planemaker Airbus.
“Cathay Pacific has agreed to purchase and Airbus has also agreed to sell 30 Airbus A330-900 aircraft,” it said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange, adding that the airline had also “obtained the right to purchase an additional 30 aircraft.
The new aircraft are expected to be delivered by the end of 2031, and “will rapidly replace the company’s existing fleet of medium-sized wide-body aircraft,” the filing said. Cathay has a fleet of more than 230 passenger aircraft. (ps/jm)
