93pc of Cathay Pacific pilots agree to unpaid leave amid recession

More than nine out of 10 Cathay Pacific pilots have agreed to take unpaid leave after a last-minute rush which saw about 1,300 cockpit crew sign up for it in the final 72 hours before the deadline.

Only about 40 per cent of the airline's pilots had agreed to take unpaid leave by Friday, sparking worried last-minute appeals from management and putting in jeopardy parts of the new contracts being offered to pilots who signed up.

By the deadline of noon on Monday, however - more than a month after they were first asked to help the airline save money by taking unpaid leave - 93 per cent, or more than 2,300 of the airline's 2,500 pilots, had consented.

While flight attendants and ground staff had until May 11 to agree to unpaid leave, the deadline for pilots to sign up was twice extended so they could consider new conditions of service bundled with the unpaid leave, including an extension of the retirement age from 55 to 65.

While all but about 200 pilots eventually agreed to take unpaid leave, only some 50 per cent of those eligible signed up for the new conditions of service allowing them to extend their retirement age. Hundreds of younger pilots opted not to.

Overall, more than 96 per cent of Cathay Pacific cabin crew and 99.9 per cent of ground staff agreed to take unpaid leave, and chief executive Tony Tyler described the response in the company's internal newsletter as 'fantastic'.