(UPDATED May 27, 2026, 9:58 a.m. ET)
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific on Wednesday announced it has exercised options to buy two additional Airbus A350 freighter aircraft, bringing its total commitment for the new aircraft type to eight units. Meanwhile, Air China Cargo placed a firm order with Airbus for four additional A350 freighter aircraft, bringing its total order for the new type to 10 aircraft. Air China Cargo previously ordered six A350Fs in November.
Cathay Pacific is one of the top 10 cargo carriers in the world, based on traffic. It operates 20 Boeing 747 cargo jets and manages shipments carried on the airline’s passenger fleet.
“This additional order . . . is a crucial strategic decision for the company to further optimize our fleet structure and expand transport capacity. It will allow us to better match and meet the demands of the international air cargo market, laying a solid foundation for the company’s long-term stable development,” said Wang Hongyan, vice president of Air China Cargo, in a joint news release on Tuesday.
Air China Cargo currently has a fleet of 24 freighters, including three Boeing 747-400Fs and 13 Boeing 777Fs, according to aircraft database Planespotters. The airline began introducing Airbus cargo jets to its fleet at the end of 2023, and currently operates eight A330-200 passenger-to-freighter converted aircraft. The A350s will handle long-haul routes, while the A330s are best suited for medium-to-long routes.
Air China Cargo previously said it expected to receive the initial six aircraft between 2029 and 2031.
The A350 freighter is designed to carry up to 120 tons with a maximum range of 4,700 nautical miles. It will feature the industry’s largest main deck cargo door to ease loading of shipping containers and out-of-gauge cargo. Powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines and with an airframe that is 70% carbon fiber, the A350 is estimated to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 20% compared to previous generation widebody aircraft.
Airbus last month completed the assembly of its first main deck cargo door and planned to install it on the fuselage of the first test aircraft this month.
The European manufacturer is striving to make its first commercial delivery by late 2027. But ongoing problems receiving fuselages from Spirit Aerosystems, first flagged by Airbus last year, could push back the production timeline. Reuters reported last week that the acquisition of certain plants from troubled Spirit Aerosystems, which Boeing recently brought under its ownership, has not gone smoothly and that Airbus is having production disruptions related to the cargo door.
Airbus says it has registered 103 orders for the A350F from 14 customers.
Boeing has received more than 50 orders for its next-generation 777-8 freighter, which competes head-to-head with the A350 in the widebody cargo market.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.
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