Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has ordered $1 billion worth of new Boeing jets, four in all — three 777-300ER passenger aircraft and a 747-8 Freighter jet. According to the OEM, the order is estimated at $1 billion at current prices.
"Cathay Pacific is a longstanding customer and operator of Boeing's products and services," stated Ray Conner, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. "We value our partnership with Cathay Pacific and are grateful for their enduring confidence in Boeing and our wide-body airplanes."
The 777-300ER (Extended Range) is version of Boeing’s long-range wide-body twin-engine airliner, the largest “twin jet” in the world with typical seating capacity of 300-450 passengers. The 300ER variant has a maximum range is 7,930 nautical miles (14,690 km), thanks to a higher than average Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) and fuel capacity.
These new aircraft will bring the total number of 777-300ERs in Cathay Pacific’s fleet to 53. It is the world’s largest operator of such jets.
The Boeing 747-8 is also a wide-body jet, the fourth-generation and largest version of the 747 series, available as both a passenger jet and a freighter aircraft that debuted in 2011.
With this new jet, Cathay Pacific will have 14 747-8 Freighters in service, the most of any commercial operator.
GE Aviation announced that its GE90-115B engines will power the 777-300ERs, and its GEnx-2B engine will drive the 747-8 Freighter. Cathay Pacific also signed a 15-year agreement for engine maintenance and overhaul under GE’s OnPointSM solution.
"We are very pleased to confirm this latest aircraft purchase from The Boeing Company," stated John Slosar, CEO of Cathay Pacific. "Both the 777-300ER and the 747-8 Freighter offer a highly efficient solution on Cathay Pacific's ultra-long-haul routes, combining superb operating economics with a significant reduction in emissions. These two aircraft types will form the backbone of our long-haul passenger and freighter fleets through to the end of the decade."
