Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways warns pilots against slow taxiing after some accused of congesting airport
- Internal airline memo seen by Post says some pilots going at ‘considerably slower speed’ while taxiing
- Union leader says go-slow issues reflect poor morale among pilots as salaries stay at 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels despite record profits
Cathay Pacific Airways has warned its pilots against taxiing at “considerably slower speeds” after some were accused of contributing to congestion at Hong Kong’s airport, the Post has learned.
In an internal memo sent on April 21 and seen by the Post on Sunday, the city’s flagship airline said it would look into any future cases flagged by the Airport Authority and its own internal team, but would refrain from reviewing past data.
“The Airport Authority advised us that their data indicated that some Cathay Pacific aircraft were taxiing at a considerably slower speed than other operators for both arrivals and departures,” said Tim Burns, the airline’s general manager. “Our own Hong Kong airport team has confirmed that they have tracked similar instances in their own systems.”
The airline’s pilots union on Sunday said the go-slow travel reflected poor morale among staff members as salaries were 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels despite record profits.
Cathay Pacific last year reported HK$3.55 billion (US$452.6 million) in operating profit after facing record losses in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic emerged. The airline also carried 2.8 million passengers in 2022.
Under contracts revised in 2020, pilots’ monthly salaries are calculated based on actual flight times, including time spent taxiing. The previous system used distances flown as a pay marker.
An airline spokesman told the Post: “Cathay Pacific works closely with airport authorities in Hong Kong and markets that we operate. We take any feedback from our discussions seriously.