Hong Kong Airlines hints at Boeing Dreamliner order to rival Cathay Pacific in long-haul flights
City’s third-biggest carrier keen to hasten its global growth, executive reveals
Hong Kong Airlines has hinted it will order new Boeing long-haul aircraft to speed up its ambitious global expansion to rival Cathay Pacific Airways.
In what would be a break from tradition, the city’s third-biggest airline singled out the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Its current fleet consists exclusively of Airbus planes.
George Liu, the airline’s chief marketing officer, said on Friday at a South China Morning Post conference: “To fly long haul, we have to introduce new aircraft. Right now we are still all-Airbus, but ... if we are talking to Boeing about 787s ... that [is a] possibility.”
“We have always been talking to Boeing and Airbus about possibilities,” added Liu, a former Boeing director and 12-year veteran of the US aircraft manufacturer.
We have always been talking to Boeing and Airbus about possibilities
An airline source familiar with the matter described the reference to Boeing as deliberate.