Air Hong Kong will retire its fleet of Airbus A300-600 freighters within the next two years. All nine of the freighters will be returned to lessors and replaced by second-hand A330s.
A300 to be phased out next year
As first reported by CargoFacts, the carrier - wholly owned by Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific and based out of Chek Lap Kok Airport (HKG) - plans to phase out its nine Airbus A300-600F aircraft by the end of 2024, with the first planes set to leave the fleet this year. The airline, which was the launch customer of the A300-600GF variant, will replace its outgoing A300s with nine Airbus A330Fs, enabling it to retain the same fleet size barring additional retirements.
Cathay Pacific said in its annual report,
"We plan to return the nine A300-600F between 2023 and 2024 and to have them replaced with nine second-hand A330F. This allows the Air Hong Kong fleet to remain the same (at 15) at least until 2024."
According to ch-aviation, the average age of its A300s exceeds 18 years, with the oldest (B-LDA) a month short of 19 years old. All nine of the planes were delivered between 2004 and 2006. Along with its A300 fleet, all-Airbus cargo carrier operates seven A330s - two A330-200s and five A330-300s - which it added to the fleet during the COVID pandemic. The annual report notes that these planes are due to be returned to lessors in 2027.
A300 operators dwindling
The Airbus A300 celebrated 50 years since its first flight in October, so it's no surprise that the number of operators of the type is on the decline. The vast majority of A300s are now freighters, with only a handful of passenger A300s remaining - in fact, any wishing to travel on a passenger A300 would have to visit Iran, home to the only airlines that operate the type for scheduled passenger flights.
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According to ch-aviation, there are currently 154 Airbus A300s (all variants) listed as active, with only two of these conducting passenger flights. The largest operator of the type remains FedEx, which has 65 A300-600Fs in its fleet, closely followed by UPS at 52. There is, of course, one very interesting A300 which is operated by ZeroG for parabolic leisure and research flights.
About Air Hong Kong
Cargo carrier Air Hong Kong was established in 1988 - along with its fleet of A300 and A330s, the airline previously operated Boeing 747 freighters before shifting to an all-Airbus fleet in 2018. It operates flights on behalf of both DHL and Cathay Pacific Cargo, serving destinations including Shanghai, Chengdu, Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Manila, Cebu, Penang, and Ho Chi Minh City.
How long do you think the Airbus A300 will remain in the skies? Where does the type rank in your list of favorite aircraft? Let us know in the comments.
Source: CargoFacts, ch-aviation