Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to operate 4 per cent of services, while subsidiary HK Express suspends flights amid Covid-19 pandemic

Cathay Pacific Airways on Friday said it would operate just 4 per cent of its scheduled services in April and May as its budget unit HK Express declared the suspension of flights for at least five weeks until the end of April.

Both airlines cited a significant drop in travel demand and sweeping restrictions in movement amid the coronavirus pandemic for taking the drastic steps.

Outlining a “skeleton” service for flights as it decimated its passenger capacity by 96 per cent, Cathay Pacific said it would operate three flights a week to 12 destinations in the region and further afield, including London Heathrow, Vancouver, and Taipei. Cathay Dragon will operate three weekly services to Beijing, Shanghai Pudong, and Kuala Lumpur. Dedicated freighter flights will continue as scheduled.

Hong Kong’s flagship airline said it was important to keep a minimum number of key passenger and cargo links open to and from the city, likening them to “vital arteries”.

Cathay Pacific said, however, said in a staff memo that HK Express operations “will be suspended temporarily until the situation improves”, indicating a complete grounding beyond five weeks.

Ronald Lam Siu-por, Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer, said: “We need to take difficult but decisive measures as the scale of the challenge facing the global aviation industry is unprecedented.

“We have no choice but to significantly reduce our passenger capacity as restrictions worldwide are making it increasingly difficult for our customers to travel, while demand has also dropped drastically.”