Cathay Pacific introduces super long-range Airbus<\/p>\n
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific took delivery of the first of
\nsix long-range A340-300 airliners from Airbus Industrie's
\nheadquarters in Toulouse, France, last week. On Cathay's
\ninvitation, The Jakarta Post's Pandaya covered the delivery and
\nhitched a ride on the aircraft's Toulouse-Hongkong maiden flight.
\nThis is his report.<\/p>\n
TOULOUSE, France (JP): As part of its US$9 billion replacement
\nprogram to prepare for 2000, Cathay Pacific has added two state-
\nof-the-art passenger aircraft to its fleet, the Airbus A330 and
\nA340.<\/p>\n
The purchase of the 261-seat aircraft makes Cathay Pacific,
\nwhich celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the first
\nairline in the world to have these airliners.<\/p>\n
The aircraft join the nine twin-engine A330-300s and four
\nsmaller A340-200s at Cathay Pacific, which currently has 58
\naircraft -- 39 of which are Boeings.<\/p>\n
Under the fleet replacement program, the airline has placed
\nfirm orders and options for more than 60 wide-bodied aircraft up
\nto the year 2000.<\/p>\n
The aim is to replace the Lockheed L1011 TriStar, the three-
\nengined, 280-seat aircraft that became Cathay Pacific's backbone
\nin the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific's A330s, and its Boeing 777s, replace its
\nLockheed L1011 TriStars. They will serve those regional routes
\nfor which the Boeings would be too big and inefficient.<\/p>\n
\"The A340 can do this, but its main purpose is to serve
\nnonstop long-haul routes,\" said Rod Eddington, Cathay Pacific's
\nmanaging director.<\/p>\n
In 1989, Cathay Pacific signed an order for nine Airbus A330-
\n300s for delivery in 1995\/1996 to replace its fleet of 17
\nTriStars. It took the first delivery of an A330-300 last year and
\nthe rest are expected to be delivered by next year.<\/p>\n
The airlines placed an order for six A340-300s in late 1993.
\nUntil it took the first delivery last week, it had been leasing
\nfour smaller A340-200s for two years.<\/p>\n
The brand new wide-bodied A340-300 airliner can fly non-stop
\n14,500-kilometer services, linking Hong Kong with Toronto,
\nMelbourne, Zurich, Rome, Taipei, Jakarta, Nagoya, Sapporo and
\nOsaka.<\/p>\n
\"People want a frequent non-stop service. The economics of the
\nA340 allow us to serve destinations competitively that are not
\ncommercially viable with other equipment. It enables us to offer
\ncustomers a good choice of destinations,\" Eddington said.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific's A340-300 is configured with 12 first class
\nseats, 28 business class seats and 221 seats in the economy
\nclass.<\/p>\n
The first class features fully reclining sleeper seats with
\n74-inch pitches between rows. The business class is divided into
\ntwo areas with 50-inch pitches, and the economy class has 32-inch
\npitches.<\/p>\n
The airline's A340-300 is among the first fitted with personal
\ntelevision systems, or PTVs, in all classes. Airline officials
\nsaid the company will spend about US$150 million on fitting
\npersonal television sets into its fleet by next year.<\/p>\n
The personal TVs have nine channels, offering Asian feature
\nfilms, Hollywood action flicks and \"Cathay Kids\", classic
\nchildren's films and cartoons.<\/p>\n
Cantonese and Mandarin films are dubbed into English. Cathay
\nPacific claims to be the first to screen Hollywood films dubbed
\ninto Cantonese.<\/p>\n
For air-to-ground telecommunications, the A340-300 aircraft
\nhas six telephones and one fax machine, operated by the Cabin
\ncrew upon request.<\/p>\n
The A330 and A340 aircraft's long, thin flexible wings and the
\nonboard systems are designed to help dampen noise and absorb
\nturbulence.<\/p>\n
\"This aircraft give passengers possibly the smoothest ride on
\nany aircraft today,\" Eddington enthused.<\/p>\n
Airbus Industrie, the world's second-largest passenger
\naircraft maker after Boeing, touts the A340-300 as the quietest,
\nmost comfortable, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly
\nairliner in the sky.<\/p>\n
\"The loudest noise you'll hear is cabin crew chatting behind
\nyou,\" quipped Tony Hellyer, Cathay Pacific product manager.<\/p>",
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