Cathay Pacific confirms new A330 business class
Cathay’s regional workhorses will go under the knife as the airline looks to streamline and simplify the fleet.
By David Flynn, August 7 2024
Cathay Pacific will follow the debut of its new Boeing 777 first class, business class and premium economy seats across 2024-2025 with a tip-to-tail upgrade to its Airbus A330 jets starting in 2026, with the regional workhorses crowned by a new lie-flat business class.
In announcing Cathay’s 2024 annual results – which saw the airline fully repay the Hong Kong Government’s HK$19.5 billion (USD$2.5bn) investment in Cathay during the pandemic – group chair Patrick Healy echoed a previous promise by CEO Ronald Lam that “a new regional product on the Airbus A330 fleet will be introduced featuring flat beds in business class.”
Healy says Cathay passengers can look forward to a wave of new premium products over the next three years.
Later this year, the first redesigned CX Boeing 777 will debut with both Aria Suites business class and Cathay’s latest premium economy recliners.
Healy remains confident 2025 will see the delivery of the first Cathay Boeing 777-9, which will feature “a world-leading First class experience” – with first class eventually becoming exclusive to the 777-9’s, as the 777-300ER jets will lose their first class cabins during the Aria Suites upgrade.
This will be “followed by a brand new cabin and flat-bed Business class product on our A330s in 2026," alongside an update for the A330’s economy class.
As previously reported, Cathay is also scoping out a potential new business class for its Airbus A350s as part of a “mid-life refresh” project.
And in 2028, Cathay will pick up the keys to the first of 30 factory-fresh Airbus A330-900 aircraft – a modernised version of its venerable A330-300 – with 30 of the twin-aisle jets arriving through to 2031 and earmarked for regional routes principally serving destinations in Asia.
Cathay’s A330-300 workhorses dominate short to medium-range routes across Asia and have spread their wings as far as Australia.
Most Cathay A330s include contemporary business class in a 1-2-1 layout.
While most sport Cathay’s second-generation lie-flat bed (which was later refined for the A350 fleet) only some of these have premium economy – the others are in a simplified two-class layout better suited to regional flights within Asia where there’s little demand for premium economy.
Former regional arm Cathay Dragon settled on 2-2-2 recliners for its A330s.
CEO Lam has previously hinted at reducing the current mix of five A330 cabin layouts into a more streamlined set.
Many travellers would hate to loose the A330's lie-flat beds on overnight flights within Asia.
This would make it easier for Cathay to transfer aircraft between routes or swap in another jet when once is grounded for technical reasons, while also minimising the impact on passengers which can result in downgrades from business class to premium economy or economy.
QFF
19 Sep 2013
Total posts 205
That’s great news, as Cathay use 330s with lie-flat between Perth and HK, and I would hate to see those flights go backward to recliners.
13 Sep 2019
Total posts 15
I believe that we will also see the new A330-900 at least in a couple of new Australian destinations with it 13,300 km 'full load' range easily making all current AU destinations from Hong Kong Also perhaps daily to Christchurch NZ and 3 times a week to Wellington is also on the cards.
18 Nov 2023
Total posts 21
“… and 3 times a week to Wellington is also on the cards …”. Really? Singapore Airlines, with its far higher NZ profile (and codeshare arrangement with local minnow Air NZ), couldn’t make its “infill” flights CBR-WLG, then MEL-WLG, work, and abandoned them with the comment that they had no plan to reinstate them in the future. Why would WLG be attractive to Cathay?
Cathay has trouble operating a “real” service from CHC (seasonal, 3 days a week), with its entire South Island potential catchment area. Wellington has virtually no catchment area other than the Kapiti Coast and South Wairarapa areas. If you’ve got to catch a flight (in NZ) in order to intercept an international flight, you’ve almost certainly got direct connectivity and way better frequency, to AKL, rather than WLG.
Wellington direct catchment is a relatively small population “orphan”, playing for “International Hub” recognition purely on the basis of being the location of the NZ Government (for now). Duplication of “International” handling and security facilities at this airport , which should be a simple regional airport, simply increases the cost of local air transport for all, to satisfy the needs and egos of a small minority.
And with regard to Cathy’s pending A330-900’s … WLG is approximately 500m short of a fully loaded A339 (long haul to HKG) take off runway length requirement (2350m required vs 1815m available). HKG-WLG-HKG? Nah, never.
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