380?
CEO says Cathay mulls A380 or 747-8 orders
By:
Geoffrey Thomas
Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler told ATW in Perth that the carrier is still keeping the door open on possible A380 or 747-8 orders, while urging Boeing to improve its "fantastic" 777.
"The 777-300ER is a fantastic aircraft but it’s going to need to improve to compete with the A350-1000," he said. "Sure, the A350-1000 is not a Hong Kong–New York aircraft but it certainly is a Hong Kong–Europe aircraft. And so if they are going to sell more 777s to us they will have to improve it."
Tyler also said Boeing needs to make the 777 more efficient with more seat rows and reduced weight. "But I know they don’t intend to abandon that part of the market. They have a firm grip on it and intend to defend it."
On the A380 and 747-8, Tyler said there will come a time when "Cathay will need a bigger aircraft" for capacity-restrained airports such as Heathrow. But it has to fly from "West Coast US to Hong Kong, nonstop all-weather, with a full payload," challenged Tyler, who said these are "bread and butter" routes for CX.
Tyler noted CX would not be ordering a token number of super jumbos. "You have to order a sensible number to get the best deals and get the right economy of scale," he said, without putting a timetable on any potential order but hinted it would be a few years yet. The carrier has ordered 10 747-8Fs and will begin taking delivery in 2011.