Cathay Pacific flexes its wings with new hi-tech Airbus plane
- With the A321neo, which can carry 202 passengers, the airline hopes to keep customers from defecting to the upstart Greater Bay Airlines
- The plane offers in-flight screens packing 4K resolution and more reliable high-speed Wi-fi
Hong Kong’s largest airline, which will launch its first commercial flight with the new plane on Wednesday, is flexing its wings as GBA inches closer to securing regulatory approval to launch later this year.
“There will always be competition, but with the introduction of our product, we believe it is a big testimony to our continued investment in the customer experience. I believe it will be the most enjoyable experience in regional flying,” Vivian Lo Wing-yee, Cathay’s general manager for customer experience and design, said at the aircraft’s unveiling at Hong Kong International Airport.
GBA will start a series of test flights from August 15 overseen by the city’s aviation regulator, a key stage in securing permits to start flying. The upstart’s first branded Boeing 737 was seen emerging from a maintenance hangar in Guangzhou in Guangdong province last week.
With the A321neo, Cathay has secured bragging rights to a world first – an aircraft with in-flight entertainment screens packing 4K resolution. The plane also offers more reliable high-speed Wi-fi, and will use the same economy class seats as the ones available on its long-haul flights.