Air Hong Kong, the freighter subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways, has signed a lease with Ohio-based Air Transport Services Group for an Airbus A330 passenger-converted cargo jet, bringing its all-A330 fleet to 15 aircraft. The parent company announced the transaction on Thursday, with the airline planning to use the medium widebody aircraft primarily to serve mainland China and other regional destinations on behalf of its leading customer, DHL Express. The deal marks a significant expansion of Air Hong Kong's regional cargo capacity as the Cathay Group strengthens its freighter operations across Asia.
The new A330 freighter will join Air Hong Kong's fleet in the fourth quarter, according to Cathay Cargo. The parent company's cargo division operates separately from Air Hong Kong, running its own fleet of 20 Boeing 747 freighters and managing cargo on Cathay Pacific's passenger aircraft. Cathay Cargo has also ordered eight A350 next-generation freighter aircraft from Airbus. For ATSG, the deal represents only the third A330-300 the company has paid to convert to cargo configuration and placed with a customer, despite the firm once planning to acquire 29 A330s for cargo conversion. The first two converted planes were delivered to Turkey's ULS Cargo Airlines last year.
"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," said Dominic Perret, who heads Cathay Cargo, in a news release. The report notes that Cathay Cargo ranks as a top 10 global cargo airline by traffic. Perret explained that the additional capacity from Air Hong Kong's latest A330 freighter will complement Cathay Cargo's future A350F freighters, providing greater agility to build the regional cargo network and offering more options for freight forwarder partners.
The lease is noteworthy because it signals ATSG's gradual shift from its historical focus on Boeing 767 freighter aircraft to the Airbus A330 platform, though progress has been slower than initially planned. The additional A330 capacity allows Air Hong Kong to strengthen service to mainland China and regional destinations, supporting DHL Express's operations in a market where regional e-commerce and express delivery demand continues to grow. The move also reinforces Hong Kong's position as a major air cargo hub by expanding the capacity available through airlines based in the territory. With the A330 complementing the future A350F freighters, the Cathay Group is building a more flexible fleet mix that can adapt to different route requirements and customer needs across Asia.