Cathay Group has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for six A350F cargo aircraft that will be operated by Cathay Group’s cargo division.
Cathay expects the Airbus aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2029. Besides the six purchased jets, Cathay Group secured the right to acquire an additional 20 Airbus A350F aircraft.
The newly announced order is not the only change within the cargo company: Earlier this year, it rebranded as ‘Cathay Cargo’ (formerly known as Cathay Pacific Cargo).
In the years ahead, the cargo carrier’s fleet will also undergo a change. Cathay Cargo used to be an all-Boeing 747 operator with a fleet of both Boeing 747-400 and 747-8 freighter jets. Although a purchase agreement for eight Boeing 777-200F jets was announced in 2011, the agreement was subsequently cancelled in 2013. Now, the company opted for the newly launched Airbus A350 freighter version.
Meanwhile, the parent airline Cathay Pacific already has a total of 47 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 passenger airplanes in service. Furthermore, Cathay Pacific operates Airbus A321neo, A330 and Boeing 777-300ER jets.
Read more: During this year’s Dubai Airshow, Emirates ordered fifteen Airbus A350-900s.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.