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Why Did Cathay Retire Its B 747 Classics?  
User currently offlineUnited Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17
Posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1471 times:

Does anyone know why? I personally think that they want to minimize their cost. It costs a lot to fly them as they need an inflight engineer in the cockpit.

 

However, do you guys think that they might be flying for Cathay again someday? After PIA's lease has expired?

8 replies: All unread, jump to last
 
User currently offlineTim From Australia, joined Jun 2000, 699 posts, RR: 3
Reply 1, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 1449 times:

Not just for that reason. 747 Classics are getting old and are becoming very expensive to maintain etc. Lots of Airlines are gradually phasing out or planning to phase out their 747 classics soon. Eg Qantas.

Regards
Tim

User currently offlineAirbus_a340 From Hong Kong, joined Mar 2000, 1554 posts, RR: 21
Reply 2, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 1425 times:

Tim, thats basically what he said.
 
trevor


Whoop Whoop, pull sideways!
User currently offlineN949WP From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2000, 1437 posts, RR: 1
Reply 3, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 1423 times:

The retirement of the classic 747's at CX was no doubt accelerated by the Asian economic crisis. With regional routes within Asia being the main focus of those planes, the drop in passenger volume during that period basically forced CX to cutback on capacity quickly. Since few things bleeds cash faster than flying empty 747's, those classics were naturally the first to go!!

What a difference a couple of years make!! Now CX is essentially scrambling around to find more capacity (leasing 340's from Air China; buying the original 777 from Boeing, etc.). However, there is no chance that those 747 classics will be rejoining Cathay, since their last flight engineer had already left with the retirement of the last 743 (B-HON).

'949



User currently offlineUnited Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17
Reply 4, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1399 times:

I am sure someone is willing to be flight engineers for CX. The 747-300s can rejoin Cathay again.

 

User currently onlineZRH From Switzerland, joined Nov 1999, 5540 posts, RR: 40
Reply 5, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1399 times:

There is another point, not mentioned yet: at many airports we have severe noise problems. These old aircrafts are too loud in comparison to modern airliners (777, 340/330 etc.)

User currently offlineCX747 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 4385 posts, RR: 5
Reply 6, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1395 times:

As an early post stated, their retirement was accelerated due to the Asian economic crisis. If it had not been for the Asian downturn, the 747 "Classics" would have stayed in the fleet for a longer period of time. CX has just invested a large amount of capital into updating the interior and IFT systems. I don't think that we will see a passenger 747 -200 fly for CX again. They continue to operate several 747-200Fs though.


"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid." D. Eisenhower
User currently offlineHkgspotter1 From Hong Kong, joined Nov 2005, 0 posts, RR: 1
Reply 7, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1382 times:

B-HON is sitting in the desert doing nothing !!, PIA changed their minds and only took five a nobody wants one RR powered 743. How sad.

User currently offlineUnited Airline From Hong Kong, joined Jan 2001, 8792 posts, RR: 17
Reply 8, posted (12 years 4 months 3 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 1360 times:

Cathay can reuse it again or sell it somebody else.
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