(Reuters) -Cathay Pacific will buy 30 Airbus A330-900 wide-body aircraft, with options to buy another 30, the Hong Kong-based airline said on Wednesday.
Deliveries are expected to begin from 2028 and be complete by the end of 2031, it said.
The purchases will make up the biggest chunk of a plan announced by Cathay on Wednesday to invest HK$100 billion ($12.83 billion) over seven years in its fleet, cabin products, lounges, and digital and sustainability projects, executives told journalists.
The planes will replace existing aircraft and will fly regionally within Asia, with the option to be used on longer-haul routes in the future, Cathay said.
Cathay did not disclose the purchase price but said 30 A330s would have a basic price of $11 billion and significant price concessions were given on that.
Rolls-Royce (OTC:RYCEY), which manufactures the only engine used on the A330neo, said Cathay had ordered 60 of its Trent 7000 engines for the 30 jets.
Cathay operates a mixed fleet of Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Airbus aircraft.
The airline has around 100 planes currently on order including freighters, narrow-bodies and wide-bodies, with rights to acquire another 80, CEO Ronald Lam told media.
Hong Kong expects a new third runway to become fully operational by the end of this year, increasing airport capacity.
Cathay first publicly flagged the possibility of a mid-sized wide-body purchase in late 2022.
Planemaker Airbus says its A330-900 jets, the largest model of the new-generation A330neo family, can seat up to 460 people and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 25% compared to previous generation aircraft.
($1 = 7.7969 Hong Kong dollars)