Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific hits back at union for claiming company cannot plug pilot shortfall, says 250 cockpit ex-staff to return
- Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association earlier said company’s efforts not enough for ‘immediate task’ of rebuilding city as aviation hub
- Carrier stresses it has sufficient staff numbers and is confident in its training programme
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 now-defunct subsidiary Cathay Dragon.
The comments by Cathay Pacific were aimed at the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, which earlier in the day said the airline needed 700 captains to recover its pre-pandemic passenger capacity.
The union also said the company’s plan to hire 800 cadet pilots over the next two years would not resolve what it called the “immediate task” of rebuilding Hong Kong as an aviation hub.
“There are many Hong Kong pilots available but Cathay isn’t prepared to pay the market rate for experience,” union chairman Paul Weatherilt claimed.
The company in its response said: “We have sufficient pilots, cabin crew and operational employees to support our current flight schedule. We are confident that our ongoing training, promotion and recruitment plans will ensure this remains the case as we rebuild.”
