New 747 interests Cathay Pacific
No decisions made on replacements for ageing long-haul aircraft after 2006
Cathay Pacific Airways has expressed interest in Boeing's latest next-generation jumbo jet study - an 'Advanced' 747 - as a possible replacement for its ageing fleet of long-haul airliners in the latter half of this decade.
Senior Cathay managers, including chief executive David Turnbull and director of corporate development Tony Tyler, told about 200 Cathay aircrew during an internal commercial briefing last week that no decisions had been made on a replacement for its Boeing 747-400 fleet, which makes up most of its long-haul aircraft.
Mr Turnbull told the audience that the new 747ADV proposal from Boeing could be 'very interesting' for Cathay.
The 747ADV is essentially a stretched version of the B747-400 with a more efficient wing design and new engines from the proposed B7E7 'Dreamliner', a medium-range jetliner.
Mr Turnbull said no new long-haul aircraft would be needed by Cathay until 2006.
The airline has 19 B747-400 passenger aircraft which are mainly used on long-haul routes, as well as 15 Airbus A340-300s and seven Boeing 777-300s.
However, four of the A340-300s are being held on operating leases expiring around 2005 to 2006.
In an e-mail yesterday, Mr Tyler confirmed Cathay's interest in the 747ADV, although he added that the airline had not yet discounted other aircraft from consideration, such as Airbus' A380 super jumbo and A340-600, and the extended-range version of the B777 jetliner, the 777-300ER.
Mr Tyler said there was no decision on whether to keep the leased A340s, after their terms were up.
However, Cathay's interest in the 747ADV will hinge on whether or not Boeing can find enough customers interested in the aircraft to warrant production.
Several earlier next-generation studies, including the B747XQLR, which stands for 'extremely quiet, long-range', found little interest among potential buyers.
