Cathay Pacific Group's operations chief, Alex McGowan, says there is a lack of visibility around its B777X deliveries. Speaking at a media briefing in Hong Kong on March 12, 2025, he said the company maintained ongoing contacts with Boeing. Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International) has twenty-one B777-9s on order.
"We're watching developments with interest," he said. "We're staying very close to Boeing. The current lack of visibility is a problem, and we are anticipating our first delivery in 2027."
Boeing is still awaiting US Federal Aviation Administration certification of its B777X programme, which includes the B777-9 and B777-8 variants. When the manufacturer first announced it in 2013, the initial aircraft were due to be delivered in 2020. Cathay Pacific placed the order for its aircraft in late 2013, expecting delivery between 2021 and 2024.
McGowan made his comments after the release of Cathay Pacific Group's 2024 financial results. The group, which includes Cathay Pacific, HK Express, Air Hong Kong, and Cathay Cargo, recorded a net profit of HKD9.89 billion Hong Kong dollars (USD1.27 billion) for the 12 months to December 31, 2024.
As recently as August 2024, Cathay Pacific was saying it expected two B777-9s in calendar 2025 and the remaining 19 "in 2026 and beyond." Six months later, all 21 aircraft are expected "in 2027 and beyond." Plans for four A321-200N deliveries to HK Express this year remain unchanged. At this point in time, HK Express expects delivery of another three A321-200N plus two A320-200Ns in 2026. Three Airbus narrowbodies, either A320neo or A321-200neo, will also be delivered to Cathay Pacific.
The remaining orders will deliver in 2027 and beyond. They include eleven A320/321-200Ns, thirty A330-900Ns, and twenty-one B777-9s for Cathay Pacific; six A350Fs for Cathay Cargo; and six A320-200Ns and seven A321-200Ns for HK Express. In addition, Cathay Pacific Group has options to acquire 82 additional aircraft.
Meanwhile, McGowan disclosed that a team of senior Cathay Group managers, led by CEO Ronald Lam, visited COMAC in late 2024. "We're delighted to witness COMAC's continued success," said McGowan. "We view the development of a Chinese-made world-class aircraft as an extremely positive thing for the entire industry. I think our particular route structure and market demand require a larger narrowbody aircraft, and we're interested to see if COMAC's plans, in due course, will include the introduction of a stretched variant of the C919."
"We're also keen to see how the C929 and its engines might potentially be a fit for our future mid-sized widebody needs," he added. "We're very pleased to share our experience and contribute to COMAC's development, and we'll certainly continue to build strong relationships with them."
