Cathay Pacific has not ruled out the acquisition of COMAC aircraft, including the C929 wide body, in development in the long run, but will first study the development closely.
Cathay's chief operation and service delivery officer Alex McGowan says airlines can be interested in the “stretched variant” of the C919 narrow body given the “specific route structure and market demand” of their carriers.
McGowan was speaking at a briefing on March 12th following the release of Cathay's 2024 financial results.
C919 works for three largest airlines in China and operates domestic flights in mainland China. From the beginning of this year, client China Eastern Airlines began deploying C919s on flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong from the beginning of this year.
COMAC has revealed a growing variant of C919, but unlike small, highland variants with commitments from domestic operator Tibetan airlines, it has not secured launch customers.
In response to questions about whether Comac is being featured in future fleet plans, McGowan adds that Cathay “want to see” how C929 will develop.
Repeating past comments, McGowan said:
He adds: “We are extremely pleased to share our experiences and contribute to the development of Comac, and will continue to develop strong relationships with them through ongoing conversation and collaboration.” Airline Chief Ronaldrum led the Cathay delegation in late 2024 to visit Comac's Shanghai Headquarters.
Talks about getting the Comac Aircraft have grown over the past few months, following the long delivery backlogs at Boeing and Airbus. For example, the Boeing 777X (the type ordered by Cathay) pushed the timeline of service entries further to the right amidst delays in production.
