Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific should rebuild its flight capacity quickly and effectively, Chief Executive John Lee has said as he expressed concerns over a recent string of flight cancellations by the city’s flagship carrier.
Cathay Pacific cancelled over 40 flights in the days leading up to the new year, citing illness among its air crew. However, the airline’s pilots’ union pointed to a shortage of senior pilots as the cause.
The airline announced on Monday that it would cut around a dozen flights a day until the end of February to avoid last-minute cancellations over the peak Lunar New Year travel period, which begins on February 10.
Asked to comment on Cathay’s recent service reductions, Lee said during his regular press briefing on Tuesday that authorities were “very concerned” by the situation and urged the airline to minimise the inconvenience and loss caused to passengers.
He said that the aviation industry had faced challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was paramount that flight capacity recovered quickly so that Hong Kong could maintain its status as a “strong aviation hub” in the region.
“I want our aviation industry to rebuild its capacity fast and completely so that we will be competitive as a whole,” the chief executive said.
He added that Cathay Pacific should, in the long run, review its manpower and overall flight capacity. The Transport and Logistic Bureau would be in contact with the airline’s management to discuss the matter, he said.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Monday said he had expressed “great concern” to Cathay’s senior management over flight cuts and had urged for appropriate handling in the aftermath. A prompt explanation and new flight arrangements should be offered to affected passengers, Lam said.
According to flight information provided by the Hong Kong International Airport, Cathay Pacific on Tuesday cancelled 21 flights – nine arrivals and 12 departures.
Short-staffed
In a statement on Tuesday, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, Cathay Pacific’s pilots’ union, said authorities were “right to ask questions of Cathay management over flight cancellations,” adding that the union had been warning of potential problems linked to a shortfall in staff for months.
The union pointed to decisions made by the airline in 2020 in response to the pandemic, when they said Cathay made “deep and permanent reductions to the pay of frontline staff, fired pilots and flight attendants and closed their mainland oriented regional carrier, Cathay Dragon.”
The union has called for an inquiry into decisions made by the management and a change of leadership.
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