Two fired over oxygen bottle sabotage aboard Cathay Pacific planes, amid fallout from Hong Kong anti-government protests
- Canister found to be partially emptied on a Cathay Dragon flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong
- Police and aviation regulators have been investigating the repeated acts of apparent sabotage – now numbering seven – since last month
The Cathay Pacific Group has fired two cabin crew members over an oxygen bottle which was found tampered with aboard one of its planes, the company confirmed, as it revealed that a seventh depressurised canister was uncovered last Saturday.
Hong Kong’s biggest airline group said two flight attendants “had their employment terminated,” with a spokeswoman adding it could not release any more information about employee matters.
The firings, the first since a spate of oxygen tank incidents began, related to a bottle on a Cathay Dragon flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, which was found to be partially emptied on September 21. It was unclear what the motive for the apparent sabotage was.
Of the latest incident, the airline said: “Cathay Dragon immediately reported the case to the Hong Kong Police, who have launched a parallel investigation into the matter. The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has been informed.”