Cathay Pacific unveils deal to buy jets

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said yesterday it would place an $8.1 billion (about R32bn) order for 14 Boeing jets, its first with the US aircraft maker for more than a decade.

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In a filing to the city’s stock exchange, the airline said it would “purchase 14 Boeing 777-9 aircraft” and had “secured the right to acquire up to seven additional Boeing 777-9 aircraft”.

Cathay already has a fleet of more than 230 mostly passenger aircraft.

The new order expects the aircraft to be delivered by 2034, according toa separate filing.

Cathay was one of the first buyers to commit to Boeing’s 777X programme when it unveiled the purchase of 21 aircraft in 2013.

Boeing said in a statement the new deal brought the order book of 777-9 aircraft - “the world’s largest twin-engine airplane” - to 35.

The jets, designed to reduce fuel use and emissions, would meet Cathay’s growing global travel demand, Boeing added.