Hong Kong Airlines staff face unpaid leave and reduced working hours as travellers deferring or cancelling trips cause cash flow shortfall
- Beleaguered airline blames deteriorating financial situation on anti-government protests that have been rocking the city since early June
- Stricken airline endured months of boardroom turmoil earlier in the year
Hong Kong Airlines staff could be asked to take unpaid leave or reduce their working hours because of a cash flow “shortfall”, blamed on the anti-government protests, which has prompted thousands of travellers to defer or cancel trips.
Revealing the impact from the protests, the number of passengers carried by Hong Kong Airlines in the past three months decreased year-on-year, dropping more than 13 per cent for the month of August. Forward booking for September to December has dropped by 30 per cent compared to the same period last year. The airline carried 7.64 million passengers in 2018.
“As you are aware, hundreds of our flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled because of public assemblies at the airport … which impacted on our cash flow,” the note said.
“To let us get prepared for the foreseeable difficult time in Hong Kong, you are encouraged to clear your unused annual leave and the company will also consider implementing additional measures, such as part-time options or unpaid leave programmes to all employees across the board,” the company said.