Cathay boosts A350 order
Cathay Pacific has revamped its Airbus A350 order, adding new aircraft and converting existing orders to the larger version of the new wide-body aircraft.
At a press conference at the Farnborough Airshow yesterday (10 July 2012), Cathay’s Chairman Christopher Pratt and CEO John Slosar revealed that the airline will place new orders for 10 of the larger A350-1000, while also converting 16 of its existing A350-900 bookings to the -1000 version. The decision is subject to a formal approval of the carrier’s board.
As a result, Cathay’s A350 fleet will eventually total 48 A350s, consisting of the 20 A350-900s and 26 A350-1000s, along with two A350-900s to be operated on lease.
Pratt said the new higher-thrust version of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine validated the decision to switch to the larger A350-1000.
“This made the A350-1000 an irresistible proposition for us, fitting perfectly in our network and allowing Cathay Pacific to go nonstop just about anywhere in the worldwide we fly,” said Pratt said.
Airbus’ President & CEO Fabrice Brégier added; “Part of our job is to listen to the customers, especially those seen as a benchmark in the industry. As we had a very successful launch of the A350-900, we felt there was a bit more time to refine our position on the -1000, which is why we came up with new proposal.”