Exclusive | Cathay Pacific planning to park up to half its fleet in desert as aviation industry struggles to recover from coronavirus
- Hong Kong carrier has already sent dozens of aircraft to Alice Springs, and a significant number of its 180-strong fleet could follow
- Capacity continues to outstrip demand, and long-haul flights not expected to fully return to normal until 2024
The group, which also covers Cathay Dragon, could send as many as half of its 180 passenger aircraft to desert locations eventually, one source familiar with the matter said, but another said it could be slightly less.
A revised number of planes to be sidelined has yet to be finalised, but it will be larger than the third of the passenger fleet planned earlier, as the fallout from the global slump in air travel brought on by the coronavirus pandemic sharpens.
Airlines across the world have teetered close to collapse, with borders closed and demand for air travel sapped by the disease.
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“I think given what we know right now about Cathay’s fleet, they’re essentially uniquely unsuited for the current markets,” said Luya You, transport analyst at brokerage Bocom International.