Cathay has exercised rights for 11 more A330-900s, list price US$5,114 million, due 2031 to 2035, and three A321neos for HK Express.
Cover image: A Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 on approach to Hong Kong International Airport (2013 file photo); the airline has ordered the newer A330-900 — photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Cathay Pacific has added 11 Airbus A330-900s and three A321neos to its order book, and a stock exchange filing puts a list price on the new widebodies. The Cathay Pacific A330-900 order now stands at 41 aircraft, after the group exercised purchase rights on Wednesday 11 November that it has held since 2024. Airbus booked it as a firm order for 14 aircraft.
The announcement to the Hong Kong stock exchange gives an aircraft basic price of about US$5,114 million (about HK$39,889 million) for the 11 A330-900s and says Cathay expects them between 2031 and 2035. The group says it now has 120 new aircraft due from 2026 and more than HK$150 billion committed between 2026 and 2035.
What does the Cathay Pacific A330-900 order include?
Cathay said it exercised purchase rights for 11 more A330-900s, on top of the 30 it ordered in 2024, and for three more A321neos, on top of 32 A321neo and A320neo aircraft ordered in 2023. The A330-900s add passenger and cargo capacity on Cathay Pacific's regional network. Cathay said the A321neos will build on growth at HK Express, the group's low-cost carrier, which focuses on the Chinese Mainland and other short-haul routes.
The August 2024 filing shows Cathay bought 30 A330-900s and secured the right to acquire 30 more. This week's 11 use just over a third of those rights.
| Item | 11 A330-900s | Three A321neos |
|---|---|---|
| Intended for | Cathay Pacific | HK Express |
| Earlier order | 30 (August 2024) | 32 A321neo and A320neo (2023) |
| Aircraft basic (list) price | About US$5,114 million | Not disclosed |
| Actual price | Not disclosed; lower than basic price | Not disclosed |
| Expected delivery | 2031 to 2035 | Not disclosed |
How much is the order worth?
Nobody outside the two companies knows. The US$5,114 million figure is the basic price, which the filing says covers airframe, optional features and engines. Airbus granted "significant price concessions", Cathay said, and the exchange has waived the rule requiring it to disclose what it will actually pay.
On our arithmetic the basic price works out at about US$465 million an aircraft, against about US$367 million for the 2024 batch, when 30 aircraft carried a basic price of about US$11 billion. That is roughly 27 per cent more per aircraft, for jets arriving up to four years later. Neither filing gives the price year behind its figure, so the two may not be like-for-like.
Cathay said it would pay through bank loans, finance leases, sale and leaseback deals or its own cash. The filing covers only the A330-900s.
When will the aircraft arrive, and what will they replace?
Cathay expects the 11 extra aircraft between 2031 and 2035; the first 30 were expected by the end of 2031, according to the 2024 filing.
The filing says the jets will "progressively replace" Cathay's mid-size widebodies and allow growth, mainly on Asian regional routes, with the option of longer flights later. No A330-900 has been delivered to the airline yet, according to ch-aviation data cited by Simple Flying, which counts 43 A330-300s in the fleet with an average age of 18.2 years.
Airbus says the A330neo, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, burns 25 per cent less fuel than previous-generation competitor aircraft.
Why is Cathay ordering now?
Cathay says the orders support its long-term growth plans. Cathay Pacific and HK Express carried about three million passengers in September, 9 per cent more than a year earlier, although the group noted that jet fuel prices "remain at elevated levels". Our October report on the jet fuel squeeze and airline surcharges has the background.
HK Express is the weaker spot. It carried 1 per cent fewer passengers in September while flying 10 per cent more capacity, Cathay's traffic release shows.
Chief executive Ronald Lam said the orders bring the group closer to a plan of 150 new aircraft deliveries and 150 destinations within 10 years, "if market conditions are favourable". Aerospace Global News put the HK$150 billion commitment at about US$19 billion.
Our 2026 aircraft orders and deliveries tracker follows the running totals, and we looked at Airbus's year-end delivery target on 1 November.
Frequently asked questions
How many A330-900s does Cathay Pacific now have on order?
Forty-one. Cathay ordered 30 A330-900s in August 2024 and exercised purchase rights for 11 more on 11 November 2026, which Airbus booked as a firm order. The 2024 filing expected the first 30 by the end of 2031; Cathay expects the extra 11 between 2031 and 2035.
How much is Cathay paying for the 11 extra A330-900s?
The actual price is not public. Cathay's Hong Kong stock exchange announcement gives an aircraft basic price of about US$5,114 million (about HK$39,889 million) for the 11 jets, and says Airbus granted significant price concessions, so the real cost is lower. The exchange has waived the rule that would require Cathay to disclose the actual consideration.
Which airline will fly the three extra A321neos?
Cathay says the three A321neos will build on the growth of HK Express, its low-cost carrier, which focuses on the Chinese Mainland and other short-haul routes. They add to 32 A321neo and A320neo aircraft the group ordered in 2023. Neither Cathay nor Airbus has given delivery dates or a price for the three aircraft.
When will the new Cathay Pacific A330-900s be delivered?
Cathay's stock exchange announcement says it expects the 11 additional aircraft to be delivered between 2031 and 2035. The 30 ordered in 2024 were expected by the end of 2031, according to that year's filing. Each aircraft is paid for in eight instalments, seven before delivery and the balance, a substantial portion, on delivery.
Sources
- Cathay Pacific Airways (HKEXnews), Discloseable Transaction: Purchase of 11 Airbus A330-900 Aircraft
- Cathay Pacific, Cathay orders 14 more new aircraft
- Airbus, The Cathay Group orders 14 additional Airbus aircraft
- Cathay Pacific Airways (HKEXnews), Major Transaction: Purchase of 30 Airbus A330-900 Aircraft, August 2024
- Cathay Pacific Airways (HKEXnews), September 2026 Traffic Figures
- Simple Flying, Cathay Pacific orders 14 more Airbus jets
- Aerospace Global News, Cathay orders 14 more Airbus jets
