This is much more aviation/fleet than PaxEx, but for what it's worth, Cathay has confirmed an order for six A350F freighters, with rights for 20 more, with deliveries starting from 2027.

It is very interesting that CX will operate a huge A350 fleet (30 A359 + 18A35K + 6+20 A350F =74), and now CX is looking for replacement for its mid-haul fleet. I think it is a choice between A350 regional and B787-10 and if they choose A350 again, then CX should have one of the largest A350 fleet in the world...

Don't forget that the 330Neo is an option for the regional fleet replacement as well.

That 20 A350F means nothing as CX got 5 777-200F option in hand but never used (CA's 748F and CX's 777F switched)

I cross my fingers for them choosing the A350. I find it much more comfortable than the 787.

I think A338 program is dead and A339 is almost dead...I don't think CX need that extra capacity so desperately...

Any new order will not be delivered in the near term. The regional 777 fleet is relatively old and many of the A330s are over 20 year of age so probably much less efficient than new designs. As a complete layman I wonder if Airbus could remove part of the tankage and the crew sleeping quarters of an A350-1000 and marry it to A350-900 wings and engines to give a low seat mile cost regional plane.

I�m a little surprised on CX�s switch to an Airbus/mixed cargo fleet. Thought it was just a bargaining trick.

In fact, do 350F and 77XF have similar cargo capacity?

The A330 fleet is not the youngest however very few of the A330s are "old' of the 42 X A330s only 8 are over 20 years .
17 of these aircraft are under 12 years old and of course did not fly for 3 of these years during the pandemic.
An order for the replacement of the older aircraft is close to being placed according to many reports and the airlines CEO recent announcement
As a comparison Delta,s 63 X A330 are overall about the same age as Cathays

[QUOTE=oldchinahand;35805228]The A330 fleet is not the youngest however very few of the A330s are "old' of the 42 X A330s only 8 are over 20 years .

8 are over 21 years old. 4 are between 20 and 21 years old so it is 29% over 20 years old. Why do you always like to shine the best possible light on Cathay me Old China? Just accept the numbers as they actually are. The day after something or someone reaches an anniversary they are older than period to the anniversary.

It's an amazing airplane. One reason why I also prefer to fly DL is because of the A350. I'll take that over the B787 any day of the week!

Good News for them and benefits the pilot pool because A350-900/-1000 pilots can fly the freighter version. The reverse is also applicable to the cargo fleet pilots being able to fly the passenger version of the freighter. Next step is A330neo to replace the older A330-342/A330-343x fleets leaving the newer ones active then replaced by a later A330neo order

[QUOTE=TomYoung;35805457]Not exactly Tom
'between 20 and 21 y.o. is to most people 20 years old.This unless you want to be intentionally disparaging. The majority of the Cathay A330 fleet as I pointed out above is relatively young.
Your statement was that the Cathay A330 fleet was "OLD " - implying that the majority of the aircraft were old . Even twenty years is not considered old for an aircraft by anyone with any knowledge of the industry as the below points up -

"There�s a common misconception that advanced age might mean the plane is less reliable or even less safe. That�s generally not the case at all, as long as it�s in service with a reputable airline that has good maintenance practices (AS is/has CATHAY.)
. And to truly understand aircraft age you need to look at two factors beyond age: flight hours and pressurization cycles.
Most commercial airplanes might last around 30 years in service, but that depends a lot on how they�ve been flown and how many takeoffs and landings they�ve completed. The life span and regular maintenance/upgrades of commercial aircraft are strictly regulated. On average, they get replaced every 22.8 years, according to Statistica.
From Flightradar 24.


Some may find the below interesting
https://www.airbus.com/en/products-s...operating-life

FYI, CX doesn't have a dedicated pool of A330/A350 pilots. Airbus pilots are certified on BOTH the A330 & A350. That's why selecting either the A330neo or A350 would make sense from a management standpoint. With the freighter order, I'm confident that the order would include some A350s, if the order wouldn't be for A350s exclusively.

Old China, mate, please read my statement again. I said many of the A330 fleet are over 20. I never said that the A330 fleet was OLD. I do not consider that many implies the majority. And I have no idea how you decide what something means to "most" people. I think that most people would agree 20 years plus one day is over 20 years. Never mind, I was not suggesting that they were unsafe, nor not airworthy. Rather I said that developments over the last 20 years means that new designs are probably significantly more efficient. The airframe and engine manufacturers seem to claim that regularly and airlines such as SQ and Emirates appear to have bought it. Ronald Lam has said something to the effect that Cathay is now looking for replacements for its regional and medium haul fleet, no doubt for the older frames first. I assume Cathay is doing that for a reason. In your passion to defend Cathay you miss what I was trying to say.