Cathay Pacific has placed an order for the biggest version of Airbus’s planned widebody A350 aircraft.
The Hong Kong carrier yesterday made a commitment to buy 10 of the A350-1000 variant of the twin aisle aircraft in a deal worth $3.2 billion.
Cathay also plans to convert some existing orders for 16 A350-900s – a smaller version of the aircraft – into the larger A350-1000, adding a further $1 billion to the deal.
Airbus pushed back entry into service of the A350-1000 by 18 months a year ago to add more powerful engines.
Airlines including Qatar Airways have complained the aircraft still falls short of Airbus’s promise to deliver an aircraft that can outperform Boeing’s 777.
Cathay’s order upgrade brings the firm purchases of the A350-1000 to 78.
The purchase “confirms that when we do things right, we listen to the customers even if we’ve had to postpone a little bit the entry into service of this aircraft,” Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said at the Farnborough International Air Show.