Cathay Pacific hires 40 cadet pilots from mainland China, but flight crew union says Hong Kong airline can only cope with reduced operations
- Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association says new hires not enough to get Cathay back to pre-pandemic service levels
- Airline says it is focused on Hong Kong hiring, but it was ‘difficult’ for residents who wanted to become pilots
Chris Kempis, the airline’s director of flight operations, said on Monday that it had taken on about 40 people out of 870 mainland applicants qualified to train as pilots after it began recruitment last year.
The mainland cadets were chosen based on their experience, company standards and English language skills.
He explained the city’s lack of training facilities, flying schools and an air force made it “difficult” for someone in Hong Kong who wanted to be a pilot.
Kempis said Cathay Pacific’s present number of pilots, close to 2,600, was enough to keep services running.
Cathay hit the headlines after its decision to cancel at least 160 flights over the Christmas and New Year holidays, for what it said was a lack of pilots because of factors such as seasonal illness.
