When Covid-19 hit Cathay Pacific, these 3 flight attendants began selling food. Then things really took off

Crew members Shilpa Pednekar, Rinny Ayu and Lany Chew put their newfound spare time to good use when the pandemic hit Hong Kong’s flagship airline

From Indonesian street food to pandan cake to masala chai, their creations have spiced up the culinary scene on the streets of Tung Chung

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Lany Chew, Shilpa Pednekar, and Rinny Ayu, at Shilpa’s home in Tung Chung. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 9:00am, 12 Dec 2021Updated: 10:23am, 13 Dec 2021

For more than 20 years, Hong Kong residents Shilpa Pednekar, 51, Rinny Ayu, 47, and Lany Chew, 50, focused on their jobs as airline crew with the city’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific.

All that changed last year when Covid-19 disrupted air travel. In 2020, Cathay Pacific lost HK$21.6 billion and cut 5,900 jobs. In the first half of 2021 it reported a further US$977 million loss.

In April 2021, the airline told staff in a memo it foresaw “no discernible improvement” in its short- to medium-term performance and asked for volunteers to leave the company.

While Pednekar, Ayu and Chew retained their jobs as senior flight attendants – Pednekar and Ayu are also in-house trainers – their working hours have been reduced. With more free time, and the airline’s blessing, the women decided to supplement their income.

Today, the three residents of Tung Chung – an estate on Lantau Island about 10 minutes by car from Hong Kong International Airport – are proud owners of small food businesses.

Pednekar, who operates “Shilpa’s Masala Mill”, sells Indian spices that she concocts and grinds in Hong Kong, with raw ingredients that her husband purchases, roasts and sends from India.

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