Cathay Pacific cancels some year-end flights over pilot illness

CATHAY Pacific Airways has cancelled some year-end flights as a precaution, after illness depleted its pilot ranks, which were already diminished in the aftermath of Covid-19. 

A “small number” of flights are affected, the airline said late on Thursday (Dec 28) in a statement. It said it “experienced higher-than-anticipated pilot absence caused by seasonal illness” on some days this month.

Cathay axed 14 passenger flights on Friday, or around 11 per cent of Hong Kong departures, according to airport data from Webb-Site.com. Services affected include Sydney, New Delhi, Taipei, Shanghai and Singapore. Total cancellations since mid-December amounted to less than 1 per cent of all passenger flights, the airline said.

Flight scheduling data analysed by Bloomberg shows a rise in cancellations since Christmas Eve, affecting key routes including London Heathrow and Sydney. 

Cathay is contending with a broader shortfall of pilots after eliminating thousands of jobs at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and cutting the salaries of those who remained by as much as 50 per cent. Pilot staff now stands at 2,532, data from the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association shows, a 35 per cent drop from end-2019.

“Over the past few days, the Cathay passenger operation has been under pressure with cancellations and delays because it hasn’t got enough pilots,” said union chairman Paul Weatherlit.