Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific fires ‘small number’ of aircrew for not getting Covid-19 jabs

Airline had earlier started disciplinary proceedings against flight attendants and pilots who had refused to get vaccinated

Global border controls had dramatically reduced company’s ability to operate with unvaccinated aircrew, it said

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Cathay Pacific earlier warned staff about not getting Covid-19 jabs. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 1:10am, 9 Sep 2021Updated: 12:51pm, 9 Sep 2021

Cathay Pacific has fired a “small number” of aircrew for failing to get Covid-19 jabs without a valid medical reason, following through on an ultimatum to review the employment of pilots and flight attendants still unvaccinated by August 31.

“Today we decided to part company with a small number of aircrew who had decided not to receive either of the two available Covid-19 vaccines and had not provided proof of medical exemption,” Hong Kong’s largest airline said in a statement on Wednesday.

The carrier did not disclose the number of staff involved.

The coronavirus pandemic had a huge impact on operations, and global border controls had dramatically reduced the company’s ability to operate with unvaccinated aircrew, it noted.

The pandemic had badly affected operations, the airline noted. Photo: Winson Wong

The unvaccinated employees had not been rostered for flight duties before the announcement. Cathay said that since September 1 it had been operating all of its flights with fully vaccinated aircrew.

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