Immenstaad, 6 August 2026 – Cathay Pacific is renewing the cabin of its Airbus A330-300. Alongside the new regional Business Class, Aria Studio, the fleet is receiving a completely new Economy cabin. ZIM is supplying the seats: the ZP230 will be used. The first refitted A330 is scheduled to enter scheduled service at the end of 2026.
First new Economy seat in almost a decade
For Cathay Pacific's regional fleet, it is the first completely new Economy seating in many years. The ZP230 brings contoured backrest cushions as well as improved stowage and more accessible charging options for personal devices. The airline is combining it with 13.3-inch 4K monitors that support Bluetooth audio, allowing passengers to use their own headphones.
A nose-to-tail retrofit
The refit covers the entire aircraft. In Business Class, the recliner seating in a 2-2-2 layout gives way to a lie-flat product in a 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access. For Economy, this means a complete seat replacement rather than an upgrade of the existing seats. Such nose-to-tail programmes are the core of the retrofit business, from which ZIM today generates around two thirds of its revenue.
Design and manufacturing in separate hands
The cabin design across both classes comes from JPA Design. ZIM is responsible for the engineering, certification and manufacturing of the Economy seat. This division of labour is common in cabin programmes and works when the design concept is checked early against certification requirements, weight targets and manufacturing realities.
Beyond the retrofit
With the programme, ZIM is deepening its collaboration with Cathay Pacific. It is not limited to the existing fleet: for the A330-900neo scheduled for delivery from 2028, the airline plans the new cabin as the series standard. The project thus combines retrofit and original equipment in a single programme.
