It was something unexpected of Cathay Pacific, so as the covid-19 pandemic. Before this crisis, Cathay Pacific operated an all-wide body jet fleet from 1983 onwards. You would not see a single Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 in the fleet, until today. Due to the pandemic, Cathay Pacific had to consolidate its operations which lead them to absorb Cathay Dragon into one. As such, all Cathay Dragon aircraft and pending orders were all placed under Cathay Pacific, including narrowbody jets such as the A321neo.
This leads to them now operating its first single-aisle jet after 46 years, the A321neo. They formerly operated Convair 880s from 1962 to 1975. The Convair was a single-aisle high-speed subsonic jetliner. It also became Cathay Pacific’s first passenger jet aircraft. The Convair 880 was later on replaced by the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. The Convair also became the last narrowbody to operate in the Cathay Pacific fleet, until recently.
Today, Cathay Pacific brought back the narrowbody aircraft into its fleet. This is their Airbus A321neo.
The Cathay Pacific A321neo
A321neo took off its first commercial service flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai (Pudong) on August 4, 2021. It was agreed beforehand that the aircraft will be taking off to Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Kaohsiung, and Taipei this month.
Cathay Pacific has four A321neos at present and is still waiting for two in the second half of 2021. That would sum up to 16 A321neos sitting on Cathay’s fleet by the end of 2023. The aircraft has a total of number 202 seats; 12 for business class and 190 for economy class.
Chief Executive Officer Augustu Tang said, he cannot contain the excitement of seeing the next-gen of A321neo taking the skies in the region. According to Tang, the single-aisle A321neo is the newest addition to the fleet. “We look forward to deploying A321neos on more regional routes and welcoming customers on board,” Tang added. With its design and array of new features, see why this aircraft offers a fun and exciting short-haul flying experience anyone can have.
Elevated Customer Experience
Cathay’s A321neo offers a cloud-nine experience to operational efficiency and exciting new features that raise the standards for comfort, space, and entertainment high in the sky.
Let’s talk about the seats.
The A321neo is the first aircraft to feature its newly designed Regional Business Class seat product. This next-generation of hard-shell recliner seat provides a cocoon-like feel with divider screens for maximum privacy. The 15.6-inch 4K Ultra-HD personal TV screens offer an incredible in-flight entertainment experience. Meanwhile, the Economy Class seats feature 11.6-inch 4K TV screens along with a generous recline, comfortable seat cushions, and new adjustable headrests.
4K ultra-high-definition screens experience.
With A321neo, Cathay Pacific is the first airline in the world to provide 4K ultra-high-definition screens, a 4K video-on-demand experience.
The Bluetooth audio streaming across all cabins (being introduced progressively). Customers can watch 4K Hollywood and Asian blockbusters using their own-Bluetooth enabled headphones while flying.
More movies on board! The airline offers a wide variety of movie selections and TV libraries available on regional single-aisle aircraft.
Not mention the high-speed Wi-Fi (being introduced progressively). Customers can now catch up on emails or stay in touch with friends and family.
New extra-large overhead storage bins in all cabins. Passengers can now have 60% more space to stow their carry-on bags.
Wait, there’s more!
In addition to a rewarding customer experience, A321neos has now become more efficient than ever!
Thanks to their elegant winglets and advanced CFM LEAP-1A engines. It reduces 22% of CO2 emissions on a per-seat basis compared to the A321 aircraft. With 15% less noise than existing aircraft, it gives the complete zen-flight experience.
Speaking of traveler’s well-being, with Cathay Care, customers can take off with confidence with the enhanced hygiene and safety measures present at every stage of the flight. These include high-tech HEPA ventilation technology to ensure the highest quality air possible, rigorous disinfectants, cleaning measures were added to ensure that cabins get sanitized ahead of every journey.
