Coronavirus: foreign pilots at Chinese airlines head home on unpaid leave as demand falls

Local pilots have meanwhile seen their pay reduced because most of it was based on flying hours

About 80 per cent of scheduled airline capacity to, from and within China has been cut this week because of the outbreak, according to data firm OAG

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A passenger waits in an empty luggage collection hall in Changsha, Hunan province last month. Chinese airlines have been the hardest hit. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:38pm, 19 Feb 2020Updated: 11:43pm, 19 Feb 2020

Foreign pilots at some Chinese airlines have returned to their home countries and are considering other jobs after being placed on unpaid leave as demand falls because of the coronavirus, affected flight crew said.

Meanwhile, Chinese pilots with greater job security said their income had been sharply reduced because most of their pay was based on flying hours.

Data firm OAG estimates about 80 per cent of scheduled airline capacity to, from and within China has been cut this week because of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 2,000 people. Chinese airlines have been the hardest hit.

Major employers of foreign pilots, including China Southern Airlines and HNA Group’s Hainan Airlines Holding, have acted swiftly to cut their losses, according to pilots and industry experts.

China Southern did not respond immediately to a request for comment, and HNA declined to comment.

“All the foreign pilots are on leave until the virus situation gets better,” said an expatriate captain at China Southern who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with media. “For the moment we are all in our home countries.”