Cathay Pacific won’t sacrifice lucrative cargo business by challenging Singapore Airlines’ ultra long-haul flights, CEO Rupert Hogg says

Qantas reveals more details on 20-hour routes at IATA meeting, but extra distance is not priority ‘at the moment’ in light of brisk freight trade for Hong Kong’s flag carrier

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Cathay’s lucrative cargo business in recent years has rescued it from the deep end amid soaring losses. Photo: Fung Chang

Published: 7:45pm, 4 Jun 2018Updated: 2:02pm, 6 Jun 2018

Cathay Pacific Airways will not launch ultra long-haul flights just to wrest the limelight away from rival Singapore Airlines, as it would have to sacrifice freight on routes of 17 hours or more, potentially sabotaging its lucrative cargo business.

Going the extra distance “wouldn’t be a move we would make lightly,” Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg said, when asked if Hong Kong’s flag carrier would compete for the longest flight in the world. The more weight a plane carries, the less its maximum range would be.

Rupert Hogg, CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways. Photo: Winson Wong

Singapore Airlines will claim the coveted title from October with its Singapore-Newark direct flight – spanning 15,300km (9,500 miles) and lasting 19 hours – on the Airbus A350-900 Ultra Long Range plane. It will trump the current 14,500km Doha-Auckland flight by Qatar Airways.

Cathay’s brisk cargo business in recent years rescued it from the deep end amid soaring losses from fuel-hedging contracts, which it made when crude oil prices were hovering at about US$100 (HK$800) a barrel before crashing over three years ago.

The loss-making airline – in the middle of a three-year restructuring exercise – has taken delivery of 22 fuel-saving Airbus A350 aircraft to reduce fuel consumption.