https://www.scmp.com/rss/32528/feed Cathay Dragon, formerly Dragonair, is a Hong Kong-based airline and a subsidiary company of Cathay Pacific Airways. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP SCMP This article was first published on January 27, 2016 Exit the Dragon­air as Cathay rebrands by Sijia Jiang Cathay Pacific group is likely to announce a rebrand­ing of its Dragon­air sub­si­di­ary as “Cathay Dragon” as the com­pany seeks to strengthen its cor­por­ate iden­tity. The idea to strengthen the sis­ter air­line’s asso­ci­ation with the premium air­line Cathay Pacific Air­ways has been under dis­cus­sion for a few months, sources famil­iar with the mat­ter told the South China Morn­ing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3341355/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-rebrands-dragonair-subsidiary-2016-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3341355/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-rebrands-dragonair-subsidiary-2016-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Denise Tsang Denise Tsang Hong Kong commerce minister Algernon Yau Ying-wah has said his views have been influenced by his revolutionary grandfather, a man closely intertwined with cross-strait relations at an important time in Chinese history. In a wide-ranging interview with the Post on Friday, the secretary for commerce and economic development shared details about his family’s role in politics over the decades. A major influence on Yau was his grandfather, Qiu Fengjia, a Chinese politician, educator and poet born in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322993/patriotism-my-blood-hong-kongs-commerce-chief-says-about-family-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322993/patriotism-my-blood-hong-kongs-commerce-chief-says-about-family-line?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Hong Kong’s famous cable car attraction is almost back to its pre-pandemic heights, with the city’s strong bounceback in tourism from Southeast Asia powering it to 95 per cent business recovery. But James Tung Pui-chen, Ngong Ping 360’s new managing director, said European and North American visitors had still to return to the levels logged before the coronavirus hit. “Customers from long-distance countries in Europe and the United States are still lagging behind,” Tung said in his first... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3265067/hong-kongs-cable-car-attraction-95-pre-pandemic-heights-lifted-strong-recovery-tourism-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3265067/hong-kongs-cable-car-attraction-95-pre-pandemic-heights-lifted-strong-recovery-tourism-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2024 02:00:21 +0000 Hong Kong should launch more direct flights to eight mainland Chinese cities recently added to a solo traveller scheme, industry players have said, urging an active response to Beijing’s favourable measures to boost the local economy. Mainland authorities earlier announced that residents from Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi could apply to visit Hong Kong from Monday without the need to join a tour group. Only four locations have non-stop flights to Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3264997/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-needs-launch-more-direct-flights-8-mainland-chinese-cities-newly-added?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3264997/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-needs-launch-more-direct-flights-8-mainland-chinese-cities-newly-added?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jun 2024 08:00:09 +0000 Is Cathay Pacific Airways past its prime? Its recent performance raises questions whether this 78-year-old airline can drive Hong Kong in the race to retain the city’s status as a premium aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific. The Hong Kong Airport Authority recently raised HK$5 billion (US$640 million) in retail bonds to fund capital expenditures, including its third runway project. Public response has been overwhelming. But hardware aside, it is also vital for the city’s flagship carrier to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251045/crumbling-cathay-no-longer-flies-flag-hong-kongs-aviation-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251045/crumbling-cathay-no-longer-flies-flag-hong-kongs-aviation-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 01:30:13 +0000 Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has defended its relaxation of captain training criteria, saying it is targeted at short-haul pilots who build up flying hours more slowly despite operating a greater number of flights, but a union has warned the move is no solution to staffing problems. The decision by Cathay Pacific, which has cancelled hundreds of flights since December 24 as it struggles with long-term staff shortages and stiff competition from other airlines for flight crew,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3248396/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-defends-relaxation-captain-training-criteria-says-it-targets-short-haul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3248396/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-defends-relaxation-captain-training-criteria-says-it-targets-short-haul?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jan 2024 13:31:02 +0000 Staffing decisions made during the pandemic have seemingly come home to roost for Hong Kong’s flagship carrier. Hopefully, Cathay Pacific Airways is about to emerge from days of extensive flight cuts, but it must follow through with its pledge to investigate recent disruptions. After calling off almost 70 flights during the Christmas and New Year holiday citing “higher-than-expected pilot absences caused by seasonal illness”, Cathay has apologised to customers. Chief operations and service... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247989/time-has-arrived-cathay-pacific-get-back-course-sake-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247989/time-has-arrived-cathay-pacific-get-back-course-sake-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jan 2024 22:15:14 +0000 Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has hit back at a union’s claims that its pilot hiring spree will not solve manpower shortages, revealing that about 250 captains and first officers who left previously would rejoin the airline. In a statement on Friday, the Cathay group said it welcomed back such staff who had applied to return, promising to offer competitive pay to all employees. The Post learned that some of the returning captains and first officers had previously worked with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3226063/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-hits-back-union-claiming-company-cannot-plug-pilot-shortfall-says-250?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3226063/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-hits-back-union-claiming-company-cannot-plug-pilot-shortfall-says-250?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2023 06:07:51 +0000 Staff at Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific keep hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Over the past few days, the airline has been embroiled in a widening scandal as its crew were caught openly humiliating mainland Chinese passengers. Recently, its pilots were accused of deliberately slowing down while taxiing their planes. In the second of a two-part series, Laura Westbrook and Oscar Liu explore pilots’ grievances. Read part one here. When Jeremy Jones*, a senior pilot from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3221856/flight-risk-first-cathay-pacifics-rude-cabin-crew-now-its-pilots-why-are-staff-hong-kongs-flag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3221856/flight-risk-first-cathay-pacifics-rude-cabin-crew-now-its-pilots-why-are-staff-hong-kongs-flag?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 May 2023 01:00:16 +0000 Staff at Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific keep hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Over the past few days, the airline has been embroiled in a widening scandal as its crew were caught openly humiliating mainland Chinese passengers. Recently, its pilots were accused of deliberately slowing down while taxiing their planes. In the first of a two-part series, Cannix Yau, Jess Ma and Oscar Liu report on Cathay’s crisis. Read part two here. Hong Kong’s beleaguered airline Cathay... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3221731/cathay-pacific-discrimination-scandal-it-tip-iceberg-low-morale-simmering-hong-kong-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3221731/cathay-pacific-discrimination-scandal-it-tip-iceberg-low-morale-simmering-hong-kong-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 May 2023 01:00:26 +0000 Hong Kong newcomer Greater Bay Airlines has appealed to the government to strike a balance on the allocation of air traffic rights so it can compete in a market dominated by the city’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways as it plans to double its fleet to six aircraft by the end of the year. Company chief executive Stanley Hui Hon-chung on Friday said the fledgling airline aimed to open up more routes, including services to Manila in the Philippines and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. He said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3218794/hong-kong-newcomer-greater-bay-airlines-appeals-government-strike-balance-allocation-air-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3218794/hong-kong-newcomer-greater-bay-airlines-appeals-government-strike-balance-allocation-air-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:00:17 +0000 The first flight to Osaka by Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) took off on Friday as the fledgling operator sought to expand its regional routes and compete with the city’s other carriers. HB 540, the airline’s first plane to Kansai International airport, lifted off from the airport at around 9.45am for the three-and-a-half hour flight, with a return leg at 6pm. It landed on time at the Kansai airport at about 1pm Hong Kong time. The flight has around 130 passengers on board, more than 70... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3218659/and-theyre-hong-kongs-greater-bay-airlines-launches-first-carrier-osaka-drive-expand-regional-routes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3218659/and-theyre-hong-kongs-greater-bay-airlines-launches-first-carrier-osaka-drive-expand-regional-routes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2023 01:46:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines plans to boost capacity by increasing its aircraft fleet to 22 planes by 2027, its CEO has revealed after the company launched a regular service to Japan to entice passengers aching to travel after three years of Covid-19 curbs. Appearing in Tokyo on Thursday after the airline’s first regular flight landed in the city, CEO Stanley Hui Hon-chung said the fledgling carrier planned to increase its fleet by up to four aircraft per year. “At present, we are running... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3206488/greater-bay-airlines-launches-regular-service-between-hong-kong-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3206488/greater-bay-airlines-launches-regular-service-between-hong-kong-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jan 2023 01:29:11 +0000 Cathay Pacific’s cabin crew union has said less rest time during layovers and changes to rostering could impact the Hong Kong flagship carrier’s service and safety as staff have been left feeling exhausted. The airline’s management has pushed back against the safety claims but promised to improve personnel schedules in future. The Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union, which counts about 3,000 airline cabin crew as members, on Thursday warned the carrier’s flight schedule allowed for “minimal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3201739/minimal-rest-time-cathay-pacific-cabin-crew-union-warns-rostering-changes-could-impact-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3201739/minimal-rest-time-cathay-pacific-cabin-crew-union-warns-rostering-changes-could-impact-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 13:34:56 +0000 Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has said rising demand for travel is expected to improve its operating cash flow in the second half of 2022, despite a prediction of a “substantial” annual loss for the financial year. Ronald Lam Siu-por, Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer, on Friday said demand had improved following Hong Kong’s easing of travel restrictions for inbound arrivals and airline crew in September. “As such, it is now our expectation that the second half of 2022 will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3200196/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-says-rising-demand-improve-financial-situation-warns-substantial-annual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3200196/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-says-rising-demand-improve-financial-situation-warns-substantial-annual?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 14:31:35 +0000 Cathay Pacific has launched its first large-scale recruitment exercise in Hong Kong nearly three years after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, looking for 2,000 flight attendants in the next 18 to 24 months as part of its goal to run at a third of pre-coronavirus passenger capacity by the end of the year. The city’s flag carrier also revealed on Friday that “hundreds” of cabin crew and pilots, who departed amid tough Covid-19 travel curbs, had recently returned to their jobs, but that it was a race... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3195252/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-beats-drum-new-recruits-airline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3195252/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-beats-drum-new-recruits-airline?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Oct 2022 15:17:29 +0000 When Jasmine Lau received an email from Cathay Pacific Airways last month asking if she wanted to return to her old job as a flight attendant, she contemplated the proposition, but eventually decided against applying. Almost two years after being laid off from the airline’s now-defunct subsidiary Cathay Dragon, the Hongkonger, who is in her 30s, is now working as an administrative officer in a bank. “All my friends, we changed careers and now we are getting used to the new job and we don’t want... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3183108/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-back-hiring-spree-anticipation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3183108/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-back-hiring-spree-anticipation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 01:00:18 +0000 The Hong Kong government has awarded Greater Bay Airlines a licence to start flying 104 routes, setting up a rival to the city’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific. The Air Transport Licensing Authority revealed on Monday the fledgling carrier had been given a five-year permit to operate scheduled commercial flights with immediate effect. “Under the licence, Greater Bay Airlines Company Limited may operate scheduled journeys for the carriage in Hong Kong of passengers, cargo or mail over 104 routes... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3167844/greater-bay-airlines-given-go-ahead-fly-104-regional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3167844/greater-bay-airlines-given-go-ahead-fly-104-regional?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Feb 2022 10:19:50 +0000 Cathay Pacific is expected to take over almost all 46 routes operated by a subsidiary before it shut down two years ago, an expansion which would increase its coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, the Post has learned. The Transport and Housing Bureau said on Monday that while a decision on the routes had been made, it would not make public details of the negotiations, citing the confidential information involved. Hong Kong’s flagship carrier and its sister airline HK Express were pursuing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3163742/cathay-pacific-expects-take-over-all-46-routes-operated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3163742/cathay-pacific-expects-take-over-all-46-routes-operated?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 15:59:54 +0000 Local residents, bankers and lawyers have replaced pilots as top renters of luxury property in Lantau amid diminished prospects in the aviation industry, according to property agents. Rents of high-end homes in Lantau, the preferred location of aviation sector employees owing to its proximity to the city’s airport, have declined by 10 to 15 per cent since the first quarter of last year, after the Covid-19 pandemic led to massive job losses in the industry as Hong Kong closed its borders to... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3153733/lantaus-popularity-grows-among-bankers-lawyers-looking-rent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3153733/lantaus-popularity-grows-among-bankers-lawyers-looking-rent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Oct 2021 00:30:16 +0000 Immigration officials in Hong Kong have denied work visas to dozens of overseas Cathay Pacific pilots seeking to relocate to the city, the Post has learned, prompting the airline to terminate their employment. Several dozen Cathay pilots had attempted to move from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany after the carrier shut down its foreign bases, putting about 280 skilled jobs at risk. The employees were able to keep their job only on condition they secured a valid work visa for Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3150121/hong-kong-denies-work-visas-dozens-cathay-pacific-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3150121/hong-kong-denies-work-visas-dozens-cathay-pacific-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Sep 2021 13:48:52 +0000 The Swire Group’s two publicly listed flagship companies delivered strong financial results in the first six months of 2021, marking a strong bookend to the tenure of Merlin Bingham Swire before the sixth-generation scion of the founder steps down on August 24 as chairman. Swire Pacific, one of Asia’s largest conglomerates, returned to profit with HK$1.26 billion (US$162 million) in underlying interim net income, swinging from a loss of HK$5.48 billion last year. Sales of the group, with... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3144801/swires-flagships-post-strong-interim-results-capping-family-scions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3144801/swires-flagships-post-strong-interim-results-capping-family-scions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Aug 2021 08:15:19 +0000 The Hong Kong government has extended the drawdown period of the HK$7.8 billion (US$1 billion) rescue loan facility it extended to Cathay Pacific, giving the embattled airline another year to access the funds if needed. The bridging loan facility was part of the airline’s HK$39 billion recapitalisation package, which also included a HK$11.7 billion rights issue to shareholders and a government subscription to its preference shares totalling HK$19.5 billion. The aim was to keep the airline afloat... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3136477/cathay-pacific-given-extra-year-tap-hong-kong-governments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3136477/cathay-pacific-given-extra-year-tap-hong-kong-governments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jun 2021 09:00:12 +0000 Ivy To Wing-ying remembers being on the Cathay Dragon flight last July to Xiamen, in mainland China, as rumours swirled that the airline was about to shut down. She was a flight attendant on board and, sceptical about the pessimistic talk, did not join in when the other cabin crew posed for photos as keepsakes. Then the worst happened. In October, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, axed more than 5,000 jobs in the city and closed its regional sister airline, Cathay... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3133485/jet-setting-dreams-grounded-covid-19-pandemic-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3133485/jet-setting-dreams-grounded-covid-19-pandemic-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:17 +0000 Cathay Pacific Airways has raised US$650 million by selling a US-dollar denominated bond for the first time in about three decades as it battles to stabilise its finances amid a slump in international travel, according to a person familiar with the deal. Hong Kong’s flagship airline plans to use the bond proceeds as working capital and for general corporate purposes, according to a terms sheet seen by the South China Morning Post. The fundraising comes less than a year after the airline... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3132861/cathay-pacific-sells-first-us-dollar-bond-27-years-raise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3132861/cathay-pacific-sells-first-us-dollar-bond-27-years-raise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 May 2021 03:46:25 +0000 For many former Hong Kong flight attendants who were laid off as Covid-19 brought the airline industry to a standstill, the start of the Year of the Ox has been very different to what they are used to during the annual festive period. Because Lunar New Year is typically the peak season for air travel in China, they would usually be busy serving passengers meals and drinks at about 40,000 feet. But as the Year of the Ox gets under way many former cabin crew now have their feet firmly on the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3121658/flight-attendants-laid-during-pandemic-find-new-career-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3121658/flight-attendants-laid-during-pandemic-find-new-career-high?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2021 02:00:17 +0000 Cathay Pacific Airways has secured approval from mainland Chinese authorities to fly most of the routes previously covered by its now-defunct subsidiary, in a move seen as a confidence booster for Hong Kong’s struggling flag carrier. The Post has also learned that the carrier did not raise any objection to its nascent rival Greater Bay Airlines’ (GBA) bid to fly more than 100 routes from Hong Kong. The newcomer might be able to launch as soon as this summer given the lack of opposition, sources... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3120833/cathay-regains-permit-fly-many-routes-vacated-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3120833/cathay-regains-permit-fly-many-routes-vacated-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Feb 2021 14:00:17 +0000 Cathay Pacific Airways is planning one of its biggest bond sales to buttress its finances as Hong Kong’s hometown airline struggles to ride out the travel slump forced by the global coronavirus pandemic. The HK$6.74 billion (US$869 million) five-year convertible bonds maturing in February 2026 will be offered at par with a coupon of 2.75 per cent, the top end of the marketing range of 2.25 per cent and 2.75 per cent payable twice a year, according to people familiar with the transaction. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3119503/cathay-pacific-sells-convertible-bonds-buttress-finances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3119503/cathay-pacific-sells-convertible-bonds-buttress-finances?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jan 2021 01:02:46 +0000 Cathay Pacific Airways has warned a plan by the Hong Kong government to impose a 14-day quarantine order and seven-day medical surveillance on its crew because of Covid-19 would force it to cut its passenger flight capacity by almost two-thirds. The airline said on Monday it might have to axe a quarter of its moneymaking cargo capacity, and predicted the new measure could increase its monthly cash burn by HK$400 million to HK$1.9 billion (US$ 245 million), unravelling the HK$500 million saved... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3119152/cathay-pacific-says-new-covid-19-quarantine-aircrew-could?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3119152/cathay-pacific-says-new-covid-19-quarantine-aircrew-could?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jan 2021 09:59:24 +0000 The chief executive officer of the now-defunct regional airline Cathay Dragon will take the top job at Greater Bay Airlines (GBA), in a coup for the upstart carrier. Algernon Yau Ying-wah, 62, will start his new CEO role on January 4, next Monday, according to an internal GBA memo seen by the Post and confirmed by multiple industry insiders, after formally retiring this week from his current post with Cathay Group after almost four decades with the company. In the memo, Hong Kong mogul Bill Wong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3115598/cathay-dragon-chief-take-top-job-hong-kong-newcomer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3115598/cathay-dragon-chief-take-top-job-hong-kong-newcomer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Dec 2020 00:15:12 +0000 Cathay Pacific on Wednesday warned it will lose even more money in the second half of 2020 than its record first-half loss of HK$9.87 billion (US$1.27 billion) as it continues to reel from the toll of Covid-19 on its business. Hong Kong’s struggling flag carrier said it expected losses between July and December this year to be “significantly” higher than those from January to June, signalling that it would more than double its previous record annual loss of HK$8.56 billion, which came in 2008,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3114202/coronavirus-cathay-warns-its-losses-second-half-2020-will?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3114202/coronavirus-cathay-warns-its-losses-second-half-2020-will?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:07:56 +0000 Fresh from axing 5,300 jobs in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways said its employment of foreign pilots was under “greater scrutiny” from immigration authorities, and expats were facing difficulties obtaining and renewing work visas, the Post can reveal. Aviation insiders said the struggles for pilots in obtaining or renewing work permits to fly for the airline was leaving their jobs in limbo, and risked hampering Cathay’s operations, especially with freighter pilots being hired in preparation to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3113782/cathay-pacifics-foreign-pilots-struggling-get-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3113782/cathay-pacifics-foreign-pilots-struggling-get-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Dec 2020 23:00:25 +0000 Hong Kong Airlines will cut 250 flight attendants in the latest round of coronavirus-related redundancies to hit the carrier and the local aviation sector. As a member of the cash-strapped Chinese aviation conglomerate HNA Group, the city’s third largest carrier had already axed jobs at the start of the Covid-19 crisis, far earlier than other airlines, and made steep pay cuts to keep salary costs in check. Chris Birt, the airline’s director of service delivery, told staff in a memo on Friday... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3113497/coronavirus-hong-kong-airlines-cut-250-flight-attendants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3113497/coronavirus-hong-kong-airlines-cut-250-flight-attendants?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2020 03:37:52 +0000 Cathay Pacific had almost sold out a few weeks worth of tickets for its Hong Kong-Singapore flights, it told analysts ahead of the launch of the now-postponed service, underscoring the financial setback for the carrier. The airline revealed the strong performance of the travel bubble in a closed-door briefing with the investor community last Friday, a day before the route’s opening was delayed, and gave an update on its 2020 financial performance as the year end nears. “The demand on our... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3110953/cathay-pacific-says-demand-hong-kong-singapore-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3110953/cathay-pacific-says-demand-hong-kong-singapore-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:28:02 +0000 Amid the numerous reports about Cathay Pacific’s restructuring, suggesting there was any kind of “willingness” among the staff (“Cathay management must keep the faith”, November 8) is simply not the case. Pilots and flight attendants had no choice: sign and be forced into a grossly inferior and permanent new contract with no path to recovery, contrary to management’s temporary pay cut, or be fired. I wonder how commentators supportive towards the Cathay Pacific restructuring would feel if they... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3109519/cathay-pacific-job-cuts-hong-kong-have-ruined-public-trust-airline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3109519/cathay-pacific-job-cuts-hong-kong-have-ruined-public-trust-airline?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 22:30:20 +0000 Cathay Pacific will not seek any further job cuts or government bailouts, as it expects to return to normal flying levels by the end of next year, the airline’s chairman has told lawmakers. Patrick Healy said on Monday that, based on current estimates, he believed the airline’s response to Covid-19, including its cost-slashing programme, would see it through the industry’s slow recovery. “The assumptions we have made for our business going forward … our liquidity position and balance sheet are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3109035/cathay-pacific-chairman-says-no-more-job-cuts-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3109035/cathay-pacific-chairman-says-no-more-job-cuts-government?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2020 05:01:20 +0000 Nearly all Cathay Pacific pilots and more than 90 per cent of cabin crew have accepted lower pay and conditions. The scale of the cuts – reported to have been 40 to 60 per cent in the case of aircrew salaries – suggests an airline and its people resigned to irreversible decline in unprecedented times. Instead they should be seen in a positive light, as a sign of staff’s willingness to make sacrifices needed to ensure the company’s survival and fitness to seize opportunities for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108992/cathay-management-must-keep-faith?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108992/cathay-management-must-keep-faith?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2020 12:43:07 +0000 The world’s aviation industry is in chaos as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. International air travel has been all but brought to a standstill and airlines have been hit hard. Hong Kong’s de facto flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, is undergoing restructuring after ceasing operations of its regional arm, Cathay Dragon, and cutting a quarter of its workforce. The decision by a local tycoon to get another airline off the ground in such turbulent times and base it in the city is therefore about more... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108927/starting-new-airline-vote-confidence-regions-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108927/starting-new-airline-vote-confidence-regions-future?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Nov 2020 16:21:33 +0000 October told a tale of two Hong Kongs, judging by a swirl of seemingly conflicting economic headlines. In a month when the city’s coronavirus-battered economy sent the unemployment rate to a 16-year-high of 6.4 per cent, the high drama was Cathay Pacific’s decision to slash 8,500 positions and fold its regional Cathay Dragon brand. In a parallel universe, stock market excitement bubbled over before Chinese fintech company Ant Group’s planned US$35 billion dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108406/property-market-frenzy-and-deep-recession-reveal-reality-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108406/property-market-frenzy-and-deep-recession-reveal-reality-two?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 22:45:11 +0000 Iconic home-grown brands are sparse in Hong Kong, so when one ceases to exist, there is bound to be a sense of loss. That has to be especially so when it is an airline and such has been the case for many a traveller with Cathay Dragon, previously Dragonair. Without notice, parent company Cathay Pacific shut down the 35-year-old carrier on October 21, putting thousands out of work and literally ending an era. For Hong Kong’s sake, the spirit behind its founding has to live on. Dragon’s demise... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108843/dragon-spirit-lives-inspire-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108843/dragon-spirit-lives-inspire-city?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:36:08 +0000 Nearly all of Cathay Pacific’s pilots and more than 90 per cent of its cabin crew have signed new, cheaper employment contracts, the airline has revealed. In all, 2,613 of its pilots and 7,346 cabin crew accepted the take-it-or-leave-it deals, representing 98.5 per cent and 91.6 per cent of the two groups, respectively. In its announcement, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier also said staff members who refused to sign the new contracts would be leaving the company but receive exit packages that went... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3108545/vast-majority-cathay-pacific-pilots-sign-new-salary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3108545/vast-majority-cathay-pacific-pilots-sign-new-salary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 03:32:20 +0000 Bargain hunters can expect bigger discounts on property in districts close to Hong Kong airport, as foreign pilots and flight attendants leave the city amid mass lay-offs at Cathay Pacific group. Market observers say that areas like Tung Chung, Tsing Yi and Discovery Bay that were popular with the airline’s employees could bear the brunt of the downturn. With the airline unlikely to resume full fledged operations until the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control, prices and rents in the... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3108221/property-buyers-hunt-bargains-tung-chung-tsing-yi-and-discovery-bay-cathay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3108221/property-buyers-hunt-bargains-tung-chung-tsing-yi-and-discovery-bay-cathay?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2020 00:30:15 +0000 Cathay Pacific cabin crew will cast a key vote on Tuesday at an emergency general meeting on whether to give the Flight Attendants Union the power to take legal action against the airline. The Hong Kong carrier’s largest unionised workforce is continuing with its push to revise and reverse the impact of new contracts, which include permanent pay cuts and termination of cabin crew who do not sign up. The union did not elaborate on the details of any potential legal action. In a small step forward... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3108151/cathay-pacific-cabin-crew-set-vote-whether-give-union?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3108151/cathay-pacific-cabin-crew-set-vote-whether-give-union?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Nov 2020 16:17:10 +0000 More airlines are likely to collapse in the coming months if governments cut aid to the industry devastated by the coronavirus-induced slump, with experts saying a full fledged recovery is likely to be pushed back to 2024. Demand for air travel is lagging even the most pessimistic of recovery scenarios, which has been made worse by the resurgence of Covid-19 pandemic in Europe and the US, Cirium, a London-based travel data and analytics firm, said this week. The industry’s recovery to the level... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3107957/airlines-facing-bleak-winter-and-full-recovery-seen-only-2024?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3107957/airlines-facing-bleak-winter-and-full-recovery-seen-only-2024?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Nov 2020 02:00:16 +0000 I am writing this letter to voice my disappointment with the decision made by the board of directors of Cathay Pacific to close down Cathay Dragon (formerly known as Dragonair) as part of the restructuring of the Cathay group (“Cathay Dragon employees shocked, shaken by decision to axe Hong Kong airline”, October 21). Dragonair was a truly Hong Kong brand. It was the first company in Hong Kong to create a proper career path for locals, especially those in the pilot profession. In the current... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3107655/cathay-dragon-why-truly-hong-kong-brand-being-sacrificed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3107655/cathay-dragon-why-truly-hong-kong-brand-being-sacrificed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Nov 2020 22:45:16 +0000 A “majority” of Cathay Pacific pilots and flight attendants had opted for permanent pay cuts, the carrier said on Thursday, after the deadline for staff to sign up for “maximum” financial support to soften the blow dealt by Covid-19 to the sector. The airline’s unions representing cabin crew said they respected the individual choices of members, while pilot representatives criticised the manner in which aircrew had been forced into pay cuts or job losses. The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3107687/majority-cathay-pacific-pilots-flight-attendants-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3107687/majority-cathay-pacific-pilots-flight-attendants-have?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Oct 2020 14:41:56 +0000 The founder of regional airline Cathay Dragon has expressed sorrow over its abrupt closure by its struggling parent company but also spoke of pride in creating a Hong Kong brand. Chao Kuang-piu, aged 101, recounted the “remarkable” journey of the carrier, from its humble origins 35 years ago with just one plane, to forging its reputation with a Cantonese-speaking crew and hot meals for passengers, through the rough and tumble of the city’s handover in 1997. Cathay Pacific closed the airline last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3107685/founder-regional-airline-cathay-dragon-sad-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3107685/founder-regional-airline-cathay-dragon-sad-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Oct 2020 14:35:30 +0000 I am writing to express my opinion on Cathay Pacific’s recent lay-offs. The Covid-19 virus emerged earlier this year, and the pandemic it sparked is still raging. People’s lives, businesses, supply chains and entire national economies have been upended. The aviation industry, in particular, has been hit hard. Global travel was as good as halted for months and only began sputtering back to life in recent months, but even then it is a pale shadow of its former self. The nearly 6,000 staff laid off... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3107418/cathay-lay-offs-inhumane-staff-who-lifted-hong-kong-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3107418/cathay-lay-offs-inhumane-staff-who-lifted-hong-kong-carrier?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Oct 2020 23:05:18 +0000 Insurers and property agents in Hong Kong are snapping up flight attendants and ground crew made redundant by Cathay Pacific Airways, absorbing some of the shock from the city’s biggest corporate lay-off in decades. Flight attendants are particularly sought after by property agents and firms looking to fill customer service positions, owing to their training in hospitality and their experience in dealing with passengers, said company executives. Insurers are also seeking them for their... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3107292/axed-cathay-pacific-staff-may-not-stay-unemployed-long-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3107292/axed-cathay-pacific-staff-may-not-stay-unemployed-long-property?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:30:14 +0000 Talks between Cathay Pacific and its cabin crew staff over a new contract that would slash wages by up to 40 per cent went nowhere on Tuesday, with the union calling management’s refusal to budge “hugely disappointing”. As the 3 ½-hour meeting was taking place at Cathay headquarters in the afternoon, the airline’s pilots union was sitting down with Labour Department officials requesting their help in dealing with their own contentious new deal that would sharply cut salaries. Both groups face a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3107305/cathay-pacific-hugely-disappointing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3107305/cathay-pacific-hugely-disappointing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 14:09:15 +0000