Cathay Pacific does not rule out acquiring Comac aircraft – including possibly the in-development C929 widebody – in the long term, but will be studying developments closely first.
Cathay chief operations and service delivery officer Alex McGowan says the airline could take an interest in a “stretched variant” of the C919 narrowbody, given the carrier’s “particular route structure and market demand”.
McGowan was speaking at a briefing on 12 March, following the release of Cathay’s financial results for 2024.
The C919 is in service with China’s three largest carriers, which operate it on domestic flights on the Chinese mainland. Since the start of the year, launch customer China Eastern Airlines began deploying the C919 on flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong since the start of this year.
While Comac has revealed a stretched variant of the C919, it has not secured a launch customer, unlike its smaller, high-altitude variant, which has commitments from domestic operator Tibet Airlines.
Responding to a question about whether Comac featured in its future fleet plans, McGowan adds that Cathay is “also keen to see” how the C929 develops – especially with its engine options – “to understand if it might potentially be a fit in our future mid-sized, widebody needs”.
Reiterating comments made in the past, McGowan says: “We very much view the development of a Chinese-made, world-class aircraft as an extremely positive thing for the entire industry.”
He adds: “We are very pleased to share our experience and contribute to Comac’s development, and will certainly continue to build strong relationships with them through ongoing conversations and cooperation.” Airline chief Ronald Lam led a Cathay delegation on a visit to Comac’s Shanghai headquarters in late-2024.
Talk of acquiring Comac aircraft has grown in recent months, following long deliverey backlogs at Boeing and Airbus. For instance, Boeing’s 777X – a type which Cathay has orders for – has had its service entry timeline pushed further right amid production delays.
