Hong Kong's airlines base fleet investment plans on projected airport capacity increase

The completion of the three-runway system at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will unlock new growth opportunities at the hub, providing the infrastructure to support extensive aircraft orders placed by Hong Kong-based airlines.

HKIA intends to formally commission the new runway system on 28-Nov-2024. Senior executives from Cathay Pacific and Greater Bay Airlines stressed the importance of this step to their growth plans during the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Asia held in Hong Kong in Nov-2024.

Cathay Pacific has significant widebody and narrowbody order backlogs, and will soon consider a further widebody order.

The newcomer Greater Bay Airlines has ordered narrowbodies, and the airline has also committed to ordering its first widebodies at some point in the future.

However, both these airlines have been affected by delivery delays, causing them to adjust their near-term plans.

The HKIA expansion is not only vital for these airlines' fleet moves, but at a broader level will also improve the competitive position of the hub, compared to other major airports in the region that also harbour growth ambitions.