Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has reactivated the last of the 85 jets it had parked due to the global air travel slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. After nearly four years in the Australian desert, an Airbus A330-300, registered as B-HLV and the first Cathay Pacific aircraft placed in long-term storage in July 2020, has returned to Hong Kong for extensive maintenance.
Cathay Pacific, along with its low-cost carrier HK Express, parked most of their aircraft in Alice Springs, Australia, and Ciudad Real, Spain, during the peak of the pandemic. The 85 reactivated aircraft include a mix of Boeing 777s and A330s, along with several A320-family narrowbody aircraft managed by HK Express.
The reactivation process began as the pandemic started to subside. The airline performed rigorous maintenance checks and inspections to ensure the safety and performance of these aircraft. “This project is unprecedented in our history,” said Alex McGowan, Cathay’s Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer. “Parking and reactivating so many aircraft is a once-in-a-lifetime undertaking. The scale and complexity of this task have never been seen before at Cathay.”
Reactivating more than 85 aircraft parked overseas, along with managing the large number parked in Hong Kong, required an incredible amount of work. Upon returning to Hong Kong, all aircraft parked in Alice Springs underwent a 14-day preservation check and continuous inspections to ensure their safety. “An incredible amount of work goes into keeping an aircraft safe and protected when it isn’t flying, and to then reactivate it for entry back into regular service,” McGowan added.
Future Fleet Plans
Looking ahead, Cathay Pacific expects the delivery of more than 70 new jets currently on order. The carrier also holds options for an additional 52 aircraft. The airline is in the middle of a fleet renewal campaign and plans to decide this year on the future of its mid-sized widebody fleet, which will likely replace the A330-300s.
Cathay Pacific has not specified when the reactivated A330-300 will return to passenger service. However, the airline continues to focus on enhancing its fleet and maintaining its strong operational standards as it moves forward post-pandemic.
Cathay Pacific’s commitment to safety and performance remains a top priority. The extensive maintenance and rigorous inspections ensure that all reactivated aircraft meet the highest safety standards.
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