STATE-OWNED China National Aviation Corp (CNAC) has deepened Cathay Pacific Airways' problems by hiring one of its former top officials to spearhead the launch of a new airline.
Lew Roberts, who quit Cathay as a bitter enemy in 1984 to help launch Cathay's then arch-rival Hong Kong Dragon Airlines (Dragonair), will attempt to win approval to start China Hongkong Airlines - to compete with Cathay and Dragonair.
Mr Roberts, 65, was hired recently by CNAC (Hong Kong) - its first non-Chinese employee - to secure an Air Operators' Certificate (AOC), the first step in setting up a locally based airline.
Mr Roberts, who in an interview described himself as a 'mercenary' with 'some dreadful enemies' at Cathay, was instrumental in the launch of Dragonair after he secured its AOC a decade ago.
He is recruiting Western pilots to fly Boeing 737-300 aircraft as part of the application for China Hongkong Airlines.
Sources said the AOC was expected to be granted by January and it was hoped services would be launched soon after, with planned routes to a number of cities in China, and to either Taipei or Kaohsiung in Taiwan.
CNAC, controlled by the country's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, surprised senior management at Cathay and its parent Swire Pacific by filing the application in March.
