Cathay Pacific has opened a bidding process for a potential order for dozens of widebodies, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Hong Kong carrier has consulted with both Airbus and Boeing about future deliveries of the long-range aircraft over the next decade, but the sources did not name the models.
Cathay’s chief operating officer, however, said last year that the airline was interested in more Airbus A350s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners, as well as the new widebody 777X, for which it has 21 firm orders since 2013.
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The move forward has been a practice among some airlines concerned about securing production slots from Boeing and Airbus in the future. Currently, the assembly lines of both manufacturers are occupied until 2029.
Airbus has recently closed deals with the carrier
Although it has a mixed fleet of 180 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, Cathay Pacific has preferred to order new jets from the European planemaker.
This was the case in December 2023 when it closed a deal for six A350F freighters to replace the Boeing 747-400F and also when it selected the A330-900 to replace its A330-300. The 30 aircraft will be delivered between 2028 and 2031.
With the expansion of Hong Kong Airport, Cathay has sought to strengthen its fleet to meet the growing demand in the region.
