Cathay Pacific’s new, long-range, fuel-efficient Airbus A350-1000 flies in to Hong Kong

Aircraft to replace Boeing 777 on many routes, including carrier’s newest destination and longest non-stop flight, Hong Kong to Washington

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Cathay Pacific Airways hopes the technologically advanced, long-haul Airbus A350-1000 can boost fuel efficiency. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:00pm, 20 Jun 2018Updated: 1:25pm, 21 Jun 2018

Cathay Pacific Airways is looking to control its jet fuel costs with new long-range planes that can take passengers further while using 20 per cent less fuel than its current Boeing 777 aircraft, as oil prices see-saw from geopolitical instability and trade war fears.

On Wednesday, its latest purchase, the technologically advanced, long-haul Airbus A350-1000, landed in Hong Kong, decorated in the airline’s green and white livery, after a 12-hour journey from the planemaker’s headquarters in Toulouse, France.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier is only the second airline to fly the long-range jet, after Qatar Airways. By 2021, it will have 20 of the A350’s larger twin-aisle, twin-engined planes in its fleet.

This will add to the current 22 smaller A350-900s it has, with six more of the planes to be delivered over the next two years.

Even as the airline’s chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo Kar-pui endorsed the A350 jetliner as a high performer, he scotched Airbus’ hopes that one of its biggest customers would order more aircraft.

Cathay Pacific’s new, long-range, fuel-efficient Airbus A350-1000 flies in to Hong Kong

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Aircraft to replace Boeing 777 on many routes, including carrier’s newest destination and longest non-stop flight, Hong Kong to Washington

Aircraft to replace Boeing 777 on many routes, including carrier’s newest destination and longest non-stop flight, Hong Kong to Washington