https://www.scmp.com/rss/307312/feed Danny was the Post's specialist reporter on the aviation beat from 2016-2022. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com From transport to food to keeping the lights on, upwards pressure on prices for basic necessities is set to squeeze the pockets of Hongkongers in the new year. Beginning on Sunday, Citybus and New World First Bus will charge 3.2 per cent more for rides under the final phase of a fare adjustment totalling almost 12 per cent, which the government approved last year. Going from Sheung Shui to Causeway Bay, for example, will cost an extra 10 cents, for a total of HK$25.20, while taking route 101R... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161799/hongkongers-feel-pinch-prices-basic-necessities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161799/hongkongers-feel-pinch-prices-basic-necessities?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 10:07:51 +0000 An Omicron outbreak tied to a Hong Kong restaurant has grown after another patron was suspected to have contracted Covid-19 while dining there this week, triggering a lockdown and throwing into jeopardy the launch of the government’s quarantine-free travel scheme across the mainland China border. As residents wearily crossed into their third year of living with the pandemic, the costly but effective defences keeping the virus largely at bay were now at risk of being overrun by the highly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3161796/cluster-covid-19-infections-tied-restaurant-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3161796/cluster-covid-19-infections-tied-restaurant-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 09:56:40 +0000 Hong Kong consumers will have to pay more for fresh produce, daily necessities and electrical goods over the next few weeks as shipping costs are expected to soar by up to 30 per cent due to Cathay Pacific’s suspension of long-haul cargo flights, industry players have warned. Gary Lau Ho-yin, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics, on Friday said it was inevitable consumers would bear the brunt of food and product shortages, especially seafood and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161768/cathay-pacific-cargo-flight-suspension-set-hit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161768/cathay-pacific-cargo-flight-suspension-set-hit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 23:00:29 +0000 Cathay Pacific is suspending all long-haul cargo and cargo-only passenger flights with immediate effect for seven days in another blow to an already strained global supply chain. The move follows Hong Kong authorities tightening Covid-19 quarantine requirements for aircrew - directly affecting the city’s flagship carrier - from three days’ mandatory confinement at a designated hotel to seven days, the Post has learned. In an internal memo obtained by the Post, the airline said the new quarantine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161623/hong-kong-ramps-quarantine-cathay-pacific-aircrew?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161623/hong-kong-ramps-quarantine-cathay-pacific-aircrew?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Dec 2021 15:08:59 +0000 Airlines in Hong Kong have been told that crew working on non-mainland China passenger flights will lose all quarantine-related exemptions effective midnight on Wednesday, the Post has learned. The government told airlines of the latest changes to its coronavirus rules earlier on Wednesday, going much further than the previous day when it instructed aircrew operating cargo flights to quarantine in a hotel for the first three days after returning to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is already at risk of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161465/coronavirus-hong-kong-axe-all-quarantine-related?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161465/coronavirus-hong-kong-axe-all-quarantine-related?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Dec 2021 15:42:33 +0000 Hong Kong will require returning air cargo crew to spend three days in hotel quarantine after two of the previously exempt personnel were found to have flouted home isolation rules during their Covid-19 incubation period. The tightening of rules came as Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin sounded the alarm over a recent spike in Covid-19 cases involving the Omicron variant – which the two crew members were suspected to be carrying – warning the risk of a community... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3161244/coronavirus-hong-kong-mandate-hotel-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3161244/coronavirus-hong-kong-mandate-hotel-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Dec 2021 05:16:10 +0000 Hong Kong confirmed 25 imported Covid-19 cases on Saturday, triggering the most number of airline bans in a single day. Authorities announced they would stop Cathay Pacific flights from London, Korean Air services from Seoul and Emirates Airlines flights from Dubai for two weeks each after passengers they brought into the city were confirmed to be infected. Of the 25 cases, 10 have been designated a strain that is consistent with the Omicron variant, but yet to be formally confirmed by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161050/coronavirus-hong-kong-cathay-pacific-suspends-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3161050/coronavirus-hong-kong-cathay-pacific-suspends-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Dec 2021 09:24:26 +0000 Hong Kong’s ailing food truck pilot scheme, originally designed to cater for tourists, has finally been axed by the government. The Tourism Commission said the scheme would end on June 1, 2022, after a “comprehensive evaluation”. Most operators have lost money since its inception, but at least one is determined to continue if the government allows it to. “The business development of food trucks serving as a tourism promotion facility was not satisfactory,” the commission said in a statement on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3160889/hong-kong-food-truck-scheme-be-axed-social-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3160889/hong-kong-food-truck-scheme-be-axed-social-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 16:38:13 +0000 Hong Kong will further clamp down on Cathay Pacific’s quarantine-exempt pilots, forbidding them from leaving their homes to buy food and perform other essential tasks in their first three days of Covid-19 surveillance, the Post has learned. The airline is also preparing for a mid-February launch of “China bubble” flights, with the expectation that dedicated crew operating the services will be subject to less stringent testing and surveillance requirements. Pilots undergoing the mandatory seven... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3160840/coronavirus-hong-kong-pilots-be-barred-leaving-home-3-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3160840/coronavirus-hong-kong-pilots-be-barred-leaving-home-3-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 09:56:07 +0000 Cathay Pacific will only allow London passengers to board its flights to Hong Kong if they have tested Covid-19 negative within 24 hours of departure, imposing even stricter requirements than mandated by officials in an attempt to preserve the route, the Post has learned. The tougher screening requirement announced on Tuesday was part of the airline’s efforts to reduce the risk of Hong Kong authorities banning flights from Britain amid a surge of Omicron infections detected at Heathrow Airport,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160575/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-requires-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160575/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-requires-london?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Dec 2021 11:46:58 +0000 A quarantine-exempt Cathay Pacific cargo pilot has been confirmed as the first carrier of the coronavirus’ more transmissible Omicron variant to enter the Hong Kong community. The confirmation brings the total number of Omicron infections recorded in the city to 14 – all imported – including two from Britain and one from Nigeria logged on Saturday. None of the pilot’s close contacts have tested positive so far. Hong Kong also confirmed two Covid-19 cases that did not involve the new variant –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160233/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-cargo-pilot-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160233/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-cargo-pilot-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Dec 2021 08:28:52 +0000 Hong Kong’s zero-Covid strategy has almost shut down the local aviation industry and its infection-control policies are “killing” Cathay Pacific, the CEO of Qatar Airways, the flag carrier’s third-largest shareholder, has warned. Akbar Al Baker expressed frustration at the stringent border-control rules at Hong Kong International Airport, which ban airlines that have brought in passengers infected with Covid-19. The measures have been stepped up further recently to prevent the import of the more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3160217/hong-kongs-zero-covid-strategy-killing-cathay-pacific-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3160217/hong-kongs-zero-covid-strategy-killing-cathay-pacific-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Dec 2021 04:08:05 +0000 As many as 3,000 Hong Kong residents a day could be allowed to travel to mainland China under a much-anticipated quarantine-free scheme, the Post has learned, considerably higher than the 1,000-person quota initially predicted. But the positive development on the long-awaited reopening came as the city on Thursday uncovered what may prove to be its first case of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in the community. The Covid-19 case involves a cargo pilot who tested preliminary-positive,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3159915/coronavirus-3000-people-day-doable-when-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3159915/coronavirus-3000-people-day-doable-when-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 06:07:28 +0000 Nearly 1,300 people were evacuated from a skyscraper that caught fire in downtown Hong Kong on Wednesday, sending hundreds fleeing to the rooftop as others struggled through dense smoke in search of an exit from the “maze-like” building. Firefighters managed to get everyone out of the 40-storey World Trade Centre in Causeway Bay, but 13 people were injured, at least one critically, according to authorities. Some people were trapped for as long as two hours, and firefighters took four hours to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3159870/hong-kong-world-trade-centre-fire-diners-and-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3159870/hong-kong-world-trade-centre-fire-diners-and-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 15:51:37 +0000 This story has been made freely available. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The fire alarm systems on some floors in a Hong Kong skyscraper were shut down because of major renovation works, authorities revealed in the aftermath of a blaze in the building that trapped hundreds of occupants on its rooftop, with rescuers later evacuating 1,269 people. The fire at the 40-storey World Trade Centre on Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, broke out during the lunchtime rush and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3159776/major-fire-breaks-out-hong-kongs-world-trade-centre-trapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3159776/major-fire-breaks-out-hong-kongs-world-trade-centre-trapping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 05:46:12 +0000 Qatar Airways expects to ground more of its Airbus A350 jets over flaws in their finish, with its chief accusing the European planemaker of having “destroyed” its business relationship with the carrier in an exclusive interview with the Post. Akbar Al Baker, CEO of the Doha-based super-connector, said on Tuesday that Qatar was also planning to lease a significant number of aircraft to make up for more planes being grounded, but warned it would be difficult to repair the frayed relationship with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159694/qatar-airways-expects-ground-more-airbus-a350s-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159694/qatar-airways-expects-ground-more-airbus-a350s-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 11:39:23 +0000 Cathay Pacific aims to stop pilots from leaving overseas hotel rooms with a one-time-use keycard to minimise Covid-19 risks, but the measure has stoked data privacy concerns as the airline steps up monitoring of staff flying abroad. Efforts by the city’s flagship airline to comply with strict government measures include requesting records of the time Cathay staff enter and leave their rooms, according to a leaked email the company’s hotel supplier sent to the JW Marriott in Dubai. Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159346/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-seeks-comply-strict-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159346/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-seeks-comply-strict-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2021 13:30:17 +0000 Hong Kong residents returning from the United States will have to spend their first seven days of quarantine in a government camp, with the city’s health authorities elevating the country to the highest Covid-19 risk level. The announcement on Friday evening marked the first time health authorities have moved a country outside Africa into the highest category of risk. The decision was prompted by a confirmed case of the Omicron variant in a traveller from the US. The government said in a press... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3159237/omicron-variant-hong-kong-poised-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3159237/omicron-variant-hong-kong-poised-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:35:48 +0000 Hong Kong is losing its longest non-stop flight with American Airlines (AA) deciding to axe its Dallas route, as another carrier pulls services to a city that has some of the toughest border controls against Covid-19. The world’s largest airline revealed on Thursday that it planned to discontinue, delay or scale back several international flights ahead of the summer, blaming Boeing for being unable to deliver new aircraft and causing a shortfall in the availability of widebody jets. Swiss flag... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159174/american-airlines-axes-hong-kong-dallas-service-another?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159174/american-airlines-axes-hong-kong-dallas-service-another?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 06:11:48 +0000 Hong Kong International Airport has pledged to attain net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with the switch to electric vehicles as a key solution in its blueprint. The airport aims to slash its absolute carbon emissions by 55 per cent by 2035, subsequently reaching the net zero target in 15 years. The mark, which comes from a 2018 baseline, is similar to the standard set by London’s Heathrow Airport. Peter Lee, general manager of sustainability at Hong Kong’s airport, said: “Our target is net zero... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159106/can-hong-kongs-airport-achieve-net-zero-carbon-emissions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159106/can-hong-kongs-airport-achieve-net-zero-carbon-emissions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:57:22 +0000 Cathay Pacific is moving forward with plans to relocate some Hong Kong-based pilots to Los Angeles for up to four months, the latest in a series of contingency measures aimed at avoiding the financial hub’s strict quarantine requirements for aircrew. Hong Kong’s beleaguered flag carrier told staff on Wednesday it would try out temporary extended roster patterns, or TERPs, as the city’s coronavirus regulations – among the world’s toughest – had led to more frequent flight cancellations and pilot... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159046/cathay-pacifics-hong-kong-pilots-weigh-los-angeles-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3159046/cathay-pacifics-hong-kong-pilots-weigh-los-angeles-move?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 08:12:26 +0000 Hong Kong has added Singapore and Iceland to its list of high-risk countries after they recorded Omicron Covid-19 variant infections, forcing city residents returning from either nation to undergo 21 days of quarantine beginning next week. Singapore confirmed on Thursday that two people who arrived the day before were infected with the variant, but neither of them had any contact with the community and they were quickly isolated after being diagnosed. Iceland also detected its first Omicron case... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3158343/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-cancels-23-more-hong-kong-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3158343/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-cancels-23-more-hong-kong-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:25:05 +0000 Cathay Pacific has been forced into contingency mode, cancelling almost half of planned passenger flights and a third of cargo ones on Thursday, a move that may cause more fissures in an already stressed global supply chain. According to live flight schedule data from Hong Kong’s Airport Authority, the city’s flag carrier axed 28 of 61 planned departing passenger flights amid uncertainty over even tighter Covid-19 regulations for aircrew. The live departure flight page for Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3158217/omicron-variant-hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-slashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3158217/omicron-variant-hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-slashes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:06:44 +0000 All passengers transiting through Hong Kong’s airport will have to be tested for Covid-19 before they board their flights to the city, according to authorities, with the move set to kick in next Wednesday. Officials also confirmed that transit passengers stranded at the airport for more than 24 hours would have to be confined to a smaller isolation zone, to reduce the risk of cross infection with people on other flights. News of the fresh measures emerged on Thursday after a 38-year-old transit... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3158135/omicron-variant-hong-kong-health-experts-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3158135/omicron-variant-hong-kong-health-experts-push?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 05:10:53 +0000 Hong Kong health officials have asked airlines to begin maintaining separate teams that will fly exclusively to and from mainland China to further reduce the risk of Covid-19 entering the country, the Post has learned. The decision to separate China aircrew from those working international routes was made in light of the emerging Omicron variant, sources said, as officials weighed even tougher rules and fewer exemptions for flight personnel. The new measures, which come as Hong Kong rushes to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3158107/hong-kong-demands-airlines-use-separate-crew-mainland-china-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3158107/hong-kong-demands-airlines-use-separate-crew-mainland-china-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 02:00:53 +0000 Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific expects the city to lag behind the rest of the world in resuming passenger flights for the “foreseeable future”, with health authorities doubling down on a zero-Covid policy in light of the new Omicron coronavirus variant emerging globally. “Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific are lagging behind many airlines in terms of capacity resumption on the passenger front,” chief customer and commercial officer Ronald Lam Siu-por said on Wednesday. “No doubt there will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3158063/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-expects-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3158063/omicron-variant-cathay-pacific-expects-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:54:44 +0000 The tightening of Hong Kong’s entry and quarantine rules amid the global threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant has led to a frenzy among travellers scrambling for hotel rooms to salvage their Christmas holiday plans. Since the government’s announcement on Monday, at least 16 countries have been added to the city’s high-risk Group A tier, over fears linked to the potentially more transmissible variant. They comprised nations which have reported Omicron cases, such as Canada and Australia, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3157941/omicron-variant-hong-kongs-tightened-quarantine-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3157941/omicron-variant-hong-kongs-tightened-quarantine-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:31 +0000 British Airways has temporarily suspended passenger flights to and from Hong Kong after more of its aircrew were sent to a government quarantine camp. Two separate sources said the British flag carrier had taken the decision after one aircrew member tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday. The test result led to most of the BA staff on the flight being taken to Penny’s Bay quarantine centre on Lantau Island. Cathay Pacific slashing December... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3157626/coronavirus-british-airways-temporarily-suspend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3157626/coronavirus-british-airways-temporarily-suspend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Nov 2021 14:34:48 +0000 Hong Kong Heritage Museum celebrated Bruce Lee’s 81st birthday on Saturday by unveiling a relaunched exhibition devoted to the kung fu legend. Almost a year in the making, the revamped “A Man Beyond the Ordinary: Bruce Lee” features exhibits previously unseen by the Hong Kong public. The immersive experience opens officially on Sunday and draws on new technology to delve deeper into his work, life and thoughts. About 400 items – including Lee’s personal memorabilia and photographs that are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3157608/revamped-bruce-lee-exhibition-open-hong-kong-about-200-items?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3157608/revamped-bruce-lee-exhibition-open-hong-kong-about-200-items?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Nov 2021 09:46:28 +0000 Hong Kong on Friday joined a growing list of jurisdictions imposing tough travel and border controls on southern African countries, amid global concern over the emergence of a new coronavirus variant already found in the city. Health officials have barred non-Hong Kong residents from entering the city from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, taking effect at midnight. Fully vaccinated city residents can still arrive from those countries but will have to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3157566/coronavirus-hong-kong-imposes-tough-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3157566/coronavirus-hong-kong-imposes-tough-border?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 14:45:22 +0000 Cathay Pacific is cutting back on both long and short-haul passenger flights to Hong Kong next month to adjust for a looming staffing shortage over the Christmas and New Year holidays. About a third of inbound flights to the city operating under the airline’s “closed loop” arrangement in December will be converted to handle mostly cargo, the Post has learned. Mainland China and Australia flights are unaffected as they do not operate under the closed-loop system. Outbound flights are expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3157309/cathay-pacific-slashing-passenger-flights-hong-kong-over-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3157309/cathay-pacific-slashing-passenger-flights-hong-kong-over-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 04:01:01 +0000 A high-level delegation of mainland Chinese health officials and experts arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday to inspect Covid-19 prevention measures as both sides prepare for the first phase of the border reopening early next month. The officials from the National Health Commission and experts from Guangdong province, Shenzhen and Zhuhai are expected to visit departments and facilities involved in the city’s fight against the pandemic and attend meetings with local officials over the course of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156799/coronavirus-hong-kong-more-100-cathay-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156799/coronavirus-hong-kong-more-100-cathay-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Nov 2021 10:10:23 +0000 Cathay Pacific has fired three cargo pilots who were infected with Covid-19 in Frankfurt after an internal investigation by the Hong Kong carrier found the trio were involved in an unspecified “serious breach” of crew requirements while overseas. In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Hong Kong’s flagship airline did not reveal the breach but said the individuals concerned were “no longer employed” by it. However, a company source said the trio were suspected of leaving their hotel rooms in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156529/cathay-pacific-fires-3-pilots-covid-19-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156529/cathay-pacific-fires-3-pilots-covid-19-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Nov 2021 09:35:14 +0000 Cathay Pacific announced on Wednesday that it had finally begun to staunch its massive monthly operating losses, but Hong Kong’s flagship airline warned of further bleeding under the city’s tough Covid-19 rules and apologised to staff for the unprecedented impact on large numbers of aircrew and their families forced to undergo quarantine. The beleaguered carrier said it came “close” to breaking even between July and October, and that its financial performance would see a “considerable... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156375/cathay-pacific-has-come-close-breaking-even-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156375/cathay-pacific-has-come-close-breaking-even-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Nov 2021 08:59:56 +0000 FedEx, the global package delivery giant, has given up any hope of reopening its Hong Kong pilot base, blaming coronavirus policies that have left “no clear timeline” for when the city will return to normal. In a company memo revealing that a January decision to move its pilots out of the city was now permanent, Robin Sebasco, FedEx’s system chief pilot, said the airline needed to “adjust” to the economic, regulatory and business environment worldwide. Industry stakeholders said the move... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156315/coronavirus-fedex-shuts-down-hong-kong-pilot-base-citing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156315/coronavirus-fedex-shuts-down-hong-kong-pilot-base-citing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:08:52 +0000 Hong Kong has no plans to further tighten Covid-19 rules for aircrews despite concern over three infections involving cargo pilots exempted from quarantine, the city’s leader has suggested, stressing the need to balance pandemic measures with economic activity. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday said action had already been taken to quarantine more than 100 aircrew members, confirming an earlier Post report. She insisted that Cathay Pacific’s new and stricter self-isolation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156197/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156197/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 04:45:03 +0000 Cathay Pacific will require all aircrew exempted from Hong Kong’s strict quarantine arrangements to self-isolate and avoid gatherings upon returning to the city, even as it prepares a drastic contingency plan to base pilots overseas for months at a stretch to shore up manpower. Cathay is currently gauging pilots’ interest in the new contingency, which would see them relocated outside Hong Kong, quarantined in between flights to and from the city, and kept out of the local community – and away... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156158/cathay-pacific-announces-stricter-self-isolation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3156158/cathay-pacific-announces-stricter-self-isolation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:07:07 +0000 Hundreds of Cathay Pacific employees including pilots and cabin crew could be sent into quarantine in Hong Kong under a tough new policy aimed at controlling the spread of Covid-19 but which could severely disrupt the airline’s air cargo and passenger flights. Authorities on Sunday also tightened monitoring of workers at the city’s main port and suggested more domestic helpers could be on their way soon, easing a long-standing shortage, given the improving pandemic situation in their home... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156006/improving-covid-19-situation-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3156006/improving-covid-19-situation-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 06:43:20 +0000 Cathay Pacific will move its aircrew to a different hotel in Frankfurt and tighten other measures after a cargo pilot arriving in Hong Kong from the German city tested preliminary-positive for Covid-19, triggering a lockdown at his residential estate. The 53-year-old aircrew member was found to be carrying the L452R mutant strain linked to the more infectious Delta variant after returning to Hong Kong on November 7, the Centre for Health Protection revealed on Saturday. Cargo pilots are exempt... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155982/cathay-pacific-cargo-pilot-tests-preliminary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155982/cathay-pacific-cargo-pilot-tests-preliminary?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Nov 2021 14:49:47 +0000 Hong Kong’s health minister has raised the longer-term possibility of introducing a local “vaccine passport” after most of the population has been inoculated for Covid-19, but will first add cinemas and fitness centres to an existing list of venues that require customers to provide their vaccination records. Secretary of Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee on Saturday said determining which local businesses might be asked to begin demanding proof of vaccination – a step aimed at further... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155956/hong-kong-vaccine-passport-future-possibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155956/hong-kong-vaccine-passport-future-possibility?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:19:38 +0000 On September 24, when Huawei Technologies Co’s finance chief Meng Wanzhou boarded a chartered Air China plane headed back to Shenzhen after a nearly three-year house arrest in Vancouver, thousands of Chinese patriots hopped online to follow the Boeing 777’s 10-hour homecoming journey in real time and share updated screenshots of its flight path. Those Chinese plane-spotters relied on Flightradar24, a website that allows internet users to obtain instant information about travelling jets,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155895/chinas-crackdown-flight-tracking-devices-leaves-companies-and-hobbyists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3155895/chinas-crackdown-flight-tracking-devices-leaves-companies-and-hobbyists?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Nov 2021 14:00:22 +0000 Two Cathay Pacific pilots whose Covid-19 infections sparked concerns over Hong Kong’s quarantine exemption policies have been confirmed to have the more transmissive Delta variant, with “highly similar but not identical” genetic sequencing. The Centre for Health Protection on Thursday also revealed that a traveller who sat near the city’s first patient with the “Delta Plus” coronavirus variant on a flight also carried that strain, raising concerns over whether in-flight transmission had taken... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155639/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-queue-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155639/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-queue-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:22:39 +0000 Hong Kong authorities may restrict the movements of local aircrew who are exempt from quarantine on their return from overseas, after two cargo pilots tested positive for Covid-19 and triggered the isolation of 120 pupils linked to the family of one of them. The infection of the two pilots, who were among five cases confirmed on Wednesday, sparked fears the city’s negotiations with mainland China on fully reopening the border would be delayed. But the aviation industry also hit back strongly on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155516/hong-kong-axe-new-zealand-only-low-risk-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155516/hong-kong-axe-new-zealand-only-low-risk-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Nov 2021 05:26:49 +0000 Two Cathay Pacific freighter pilots exempted from quarantine were among four imported preliminary-positive coronavirus cases reported in Hong Kong on Tuesday, one of which triggered an overnight lockdown of a Tsim Sha Tsui residential block for compulsory testing. Health officials were particularly concerned about the contagion risks posed by one of the pilot cases, given the high viral load involved, and they warned the public to observe all lockdown and testing orders imposed to prevent the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155391/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-hoping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3155391/coronavirus-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-hoping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Nov 2021 06:59:59 +0000 Cathay Pacific will allow passengers to verify their travel and health documents in advance, in a bid to slash check-in times and prevent a flight ban triggered by administrative errors. The airline’s new “Fly Ready” feature lets passengers submit their negative Covid-19 test result, vaccination, hotel booking and ID documents within 48 hours of departure, to be verified by a team of employees to ensure accuracy. Constantly changing travel rules in the coronavirus pandemic have meant more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3155313/cathay-pacific-rolls-out-new-travel-verification-feature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3155313/cathay-pacific-rolls-out-new-travel-verification-feature?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Nov 2021 00:30:21 +0000 Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has resumed flights to more European cities this month for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck, but tough quarantine rules have disrupted some of the carrier’s plans, the Post has learned. Cathay reconnected with more European cities – with Madrid and Milan the latest destinations – in November for the first time since Hong Kong ordered returning residents to quarantine upon arrival from overseas in late March 2020. Hong Kong’s flagship airline,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3155175/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-resumes-more-flights-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3155175/coronavirus-cathay-pacific-resumes-more-flights-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Nov 2021 11:00:13 +0000 Hong Kong airport officials plan to segregate passengers on mainland China flights from other international travellers in an unprecedented move to prevent cross-infection and build a stronger case for reopening the city’s border with the rest of the country, the Post has learned. The proposal to divide Hong Kong International Airport into two zones also involves assigning staff to either side with no mixing allowed during working hours, according to sources who were briefed last week on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3154613/coronavirus-hong-kong-airport-plans-passenger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3154613/coronavirus-hong-kong-airport-plans-passenger?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Nov 2021 01:05:34 +0000 Across much of the world, a recovery in air travel is finally under way. International airlines are readying their crews and planes and preparing to take advantage of an expected boom in demand as countries learn to live with Covid-19. Except for large swathes of Asia, a region that is divided in its approach to the pandemic and has dragged its feet in the reopening of borders. Many airlines are growing increasingly frustrated about mixed signals on the region’s reopening plans and, as a result,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3152553/international-airlines-pivot-away-asia-amid-frustration-slow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3152553/international-airlines-pivot-away-asia-amid-frustration-slow?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Oct 2021 10:00:20 +0000 As demand for air travel increases in the West and travel routes slowly begin opening up in Asia, airlines have yet to figure out how to safeguard against one potential disruption to their operations: vaccine refusers. Worldwide, only two – Cathay Pacific and United Airlines – have been able to enforce Covid-19 vaccinations for their staff, subject to certain medical and religious exemptions. Employees who refuse to get vaccinated without a valid reason have been fired by Cathay, while United... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3152533/airlines-grapple-vaccine-refusers-amid-international?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3152533/airlines-grapple-vaccine-refusers-amid-international?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Oct 2021 23:00:22 +0000 Airbus has raised the alarm over the standstill in Asian air travel that continues to hobble pandemic-battered airlines, with the European planemaker saying it is struggling to restructure deals for a large number of aircraft ordered by the region’s carriers. The aircraft giant’s top salesman warned in an interview that ongoing delays to the reopening of international travel could leave Asia at the back of the queue for new aircraft as Europe and the United States forge ahead in reviving... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3151834/struggling-restructure-asia-pacific-deals-airbus-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3151834/struggling-restructure-asia-pacific-deals-airbus-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Oct 2021 00:00:21 +0000