Cathay-owned Air Hong Kong has signed a lease deal to add a converted Airbus A330 freighter to expand its regional operations.
The A330 freighter will join Air Hong Kong’s fleet in the fourth quarter of 2026 under a long-term lease agreement with Air Transport Services Group subsidiary Cargo Aircraft Management.
Air Hong Kong currently operates an all-A330 freighter fleet of 14 aircraft providing express cargo services for DHL Express, after it retired its A300-600Fs last year.
The Cathay group said the additional capacity would be utilised primarily to operate freighter services to the Chinese Mainland and other regional destinations.
The airline group said the addition follows the creation of a third runway at Hong Kong International and the group’s recent order for eight next-generation widebody Airbus A350 freighters that are due to start being delivered in 2027.
Cathay director of cargo Dominic Perret said: “The Cathay Group is strengthening our freighter fleet to support Cathay Cargo’s capacity growth plans, strengthen our network, and reinforce Hong Kong’s status as the world’s leading air cargo hub.
“The additional capacity offered by Air Hong Kong’s latest A330 freighter will complement Cathay Cargo’s future A350F freighters, providing us with greater agility to build our regional cargo network and making more options available for our freight forwarder partners.”
Air Hong Kong chief operating officer Agatha Lee said: “We look forward to welcoming this newest addition to our fleet, which will enable Air Hong Kong to leverage the opportunities presented by the Three-Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport to expand our presence in the region.
“This marks an exciting chapter for Air Hong Kong as we expand our business to support the ongoing development of the Hong Kong international aviation hub.”
Cathay Cargo currently operates its own fleet of 20 Boeing 747 freighters, in addition to utilising belly capacity on the Cathay Group’s passenger network.
The cargo division recently expanded its order of A350Fs by two additional aircraft.
