Cathay Pacific cargo, passenger capacity to be slashed following Hong Kong’s imposition of new flight bans, rules for aircrew

The local flag carrier will temporarily cut its existing cargo capacity by more than two-thirds and passenger flights by about 80 per cent

The sharp reductions will remain in place for the rest of the month and were triggered by flights bans on several countries and new quarantine requirements for aircrew

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Cathay Pacific Airways’ capacity will be sharply reduced for at least the rest of the month. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 4:45pm, 6 Jan 2022Updated: 8:43pm, 6 Jan 2022

Cathay Pacific Airways’ cargo capacity will be reduced by more than two-thirds and its existing passenger flights by about 80 per cent following Hong Kong’s recent imposition of a two-week flight ban on certain countries and tightened aircrew quarantine requirements.

In an internal memo to staff, obtained by the Post on Thursday, the airline’s chief executive said it had previously been operating at about 70 per cent of its pre-pandemic cargo capacity and running around 10 per cent of passenger flights. From Friday, those figures were expected to drop to around 20 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.

The latest arrangements are expected to deal yet another blow to the airline battered by the Covid-19 pandemic and to Hong Kong’s reputation as a global aviation hub.

“I realise these substantial reductions in our passenger and cargo capacity will have a significant impact on our customers and on our people,” CEO Augustus Tang Kin-wing said in the memo.

In a statement, Cathay confirmed capacity would be sharply reduced for the rest of the month as it emerged from a week-long, self-imposed suspension of all long-haul cargo flights that began on December 30.

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