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Cathay Dragoni

Cathay Dragon, formerly Dragonair, is a Hong Kong-based airline and a subsidiary company of Cathay Pacific Airways.

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Hong Kong has experienced a great sense of loss with the closure of its iconic home-grown airline, but the entrepreneurial thought behind it can guide us through the present tough times

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  • Decision allows more pilots to be promoted to captain, potentially making the carrier more attractive to employees
  • Union says less-experienced pilots may require more instruction and longer courses, which will add to Cathay’s training burden
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Analysts and employees of flag carrier ask whether Cathay can salvage reputation, save itself from mainlanders’ ire and rebuild standing in key customer base.

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Company chief executive Stanley Hui says he aims to open up new routes to places such as Manila and Ho Chi Minh City and boost flight frequencies to current destinations,

Immigration officials’ hardline stance has effectively led to the termination of the pilots, who were allowed to keep their jobs following the closure of Cathay’s overseas bases only if they could secure Hong Kong visas.

The government has given Hong Kong’s flagship carrier another year to draw down on the US$1 billion loan facility, part of a rescue package designed to keep the airline afloat through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hong Kong’s struggling flag carrier has raised US$650 million by selling a US-dollar bond by convincing fixed-income investors to help finance its operations through the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the cabin crew laid off last year when the pandemic grounded flights have found a new career in insurance where their communication and customer service skills are highly prized.

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Mainland aviation authorities have granted Cathay Pacific the rights to fly to 15 Chinese cities, while upstart Greater Bay Airlines’ bid to operate more than 100 routes appears to be progressing.

Hong Kong government plans to impose 14-day quarantine and seven-day medical surveillance on all aircrew, and airline says move could have dire consequences for passenger and cargo business.

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The figures put the airline on track to more than double its previous record for losses in a single year, which came in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis.

Sources say Hong Kong Immigration Department not renewing work visas for foreign fliers after airline axed 5,300 jobs in city in October restructuring, leaving hundreds of locals unemployed.

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Airline faces financial hit after suspension of service day before inaugural flight was expected to take off, with route estimated to be worth HK$93 million in revenue.

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