ExclusiveCathay Pacific to close Vancouver base in June as part of ‘ongoing business review’ putting 147 jobs at risk
- Location was last cabin crew base in Canada after airline closed Toronto one in 2019
- Cuts come amid increasing pressure from coronavirus epidemic with industry body predicting airlines could lose US$113 billion in revenue
Cathay Pacific is to close its final cabin crew base in Canada as part of its “ongoing business review”, putting 147 jobs at risk.
Flight attendants are expected to meet with the airline on Friday and into the weekend, however, sources told the Post the airline planned to close its Vancouver base on June 26.
“As part of our ongoing business review, we have made the decision to close down our Vancouver cabin crew base. We are communicating with the union,” a spokeswoman for the airline said.
A memo to the affected Vancouver crew from the airline’s senior managers in Hong Kong cited the coronavirus epidemic for having accelerated the decision to close the base.
The viability of the crew base was thought to be vulnerable with the loss-making Vancouver-New York route, which flew on from Hong Kong, signposted for closure at the end of March. But with the virus impacting travel around the world its closure had been brought forward to last month.
The expected job losses highlight the challenges facing the world’s airlines during the coronavirus epidemic, which has seen several rounds of emergency cost cutting.