Cathay Pacific Group (www.cathaypacific.com) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus (www.airbus.com) for 32 A321neo single-aisle aircraft.

These will be operated by Cathay Dragon (the group’s regional carrier) on services linking its Hong Kong base with destinations across Asia.

A321neo aircraft will replace and modernise Cathay Dragon’s current in-service fleet of 15 A320s and eight A321s, with the additional aircraft allowing the airline to capture growth opportunities in the region. The Cathay Dragon network currently covers 56 Asian destinations, including 28 in mainland China.

Cathay Pacific CEO and Cathay Dragon chairman Rupert Hogg said: “With the A321neo, we expect to benefit from a very significant increase in operating efficiency, while growing capacity in the Cathay Dragon network to expand our reach.

“The intention to purchase these 32 environment-friendly aircraft will allow us to add new destinations to Cathay Dragon’s network, increase the frequency on some of our most popular routes, and expand our network in the region to provide more travel choices and convenience to our customers.”

Cathay Dragon is an all-Airbus operator, with a current fleet of 23 A320 family aircraft and 24 wide-body A330-300s.

In addition, the company operates 37 A330-300s, making it the largest A330 operator in the Asia-Pacific region. Cathay Pacific also operates the long-haul A350 XWB, with 17 A350-900s already in service.

The carrier has another 31 A350 XWBs on order, including the A350-900 and the larger A350-1000.