Hong Kong carrier adds eleven A330-900s and three A321neos, deepening a widebody relationship that now stretches to 41 firm commitments
Airbus has secured another firm commitment from Cathay Group, with the Hong Kong airline ordering 14 additional aircraft — eleven A330-900s and three A321neos — as reported by Les Echos. The deal builds on existing orders for both aircraft families and keeps a long-standing customer firmly in the manufacturer’s backlog.
Cathay puts the list value of the newly ordered widebodies at USD 5.11 billion, and the airline says Airbus has granted substantial concessions. Deliveries are scheduled for 2031–2035, well beyond the current financial year. The widebody tranche tops up a 2024 order for 30 A330-900s, lifting Cathay’s firm commitments for the type to 41 aircraft.
Delivery Target Sets the Pace
The order lands against a demanding production schedule. By the end of October, Airbus had handed over 621 commercial aircraft this year against a full-year goal of roughly 870. Forecast International reckons that closing the gap would require almost 250 deliveries in the final two months, and considers the target uncertain. Supply-chain and transport delays add further friction, according to Aviation.Direct.
For investors, the near-term yardstick is therefore the handover count rather than the order book. A stronger delivery performance would signal that Airbus is converting robust demand into completed contracts.
October itself brought 74 commercial aircraft deliveries, confirmed by the planemaker. At the nine-month stage, reported on 28 October, management left the full-year guidance unchanged: around 870 commercial aircraft targeted for 2026.
Nine-Month Figures and a Lufthansa Milestone
Over the first nine months of 2026, Airbus delivered 547 commercial aircraft and generated revenue of EUR 50.6 billion. Adjusted operating profit came in at EUR 4.5 billion, while net income reached EUR 3.59 billion, up from EUR 2.64 billion a year earlier.
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The previous day brought a fleet landmark: Lufthansa took delivery of its first A350-1000, which was also the 700th Airbus aircraft handed to the Lufthansa Group.
Industrial Footprint Widens
Alongside the commercial momentum, Airbus is expanding its manufacturing base. According to franceinfo, the group plans to invest more than EUR 600 million in a new plant near Toulouse, due to come online in 2031 and eventually creating 700 additional jobs. The site will produce connector components linking aircraft engines to wings — an industrial answer to the growth implied by orders such as Cathay’s.
Buyback Wrapped Up, Drone Cleared
Airbus also reported completion of its separate share buyback programme covering employee share ownership and share-based compensation, with roughly 202,000 shares repurchased on Friday.
On the defence side, the French procurement agency DGA qualified the vertical take-off and landing variant of the U010 Aliaca tactical drone for operational use on 3 November. Airbus says it had already delivered the first two systems to the French Navy in September.
How much shareholders ultimately gain from the Cathay contract will hinge on on-time production and the terms agreed — but for now, the delivery target remains the clearest test of operational execution.
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