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Cathay superjumbo addition up in the air

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Why you can trust SCMP
David Evans

Cathay Pacific Airways continues to debate the advantages of adding an Airbus Industrie A380 superjumbo airliner to its fleet.

A spokesman for Hong Kong's flagship carrier said: 'We have not made any decision on the Airbus A380.'

Cathay is a front-runner to lease any of the four new 555-seaters expected to be bought by Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (Sale), according to industry weekly Flight International .

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Sale, owned by various Singapore-government affiliates, among them Singapore Airlines (SIA), declined to comment on the report.

Analysts said airlines traditionally preferred to lease used aircraft instead of new models.

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Steve Miller, managing director at airline consultancy Trinity Aviation, said he would be surprised if Sale had agreed to buy a new model A380 - due to enter service in five years.

'[New models] are more difficult to lease than aircraft that've been around for a while,' he said.

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