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Cannix Yau

Oscar Liu

Hong Kong’s civil aviation authority has told Cathay Pacific Airways to investigate and submit a report on a junior pilot who failed an alcohol breath test just before he was scheduled to fly to the city from Sydney, which caused a lengthy delay to the flight.
The Civil Aviation Department on Thursday said aviation safety was of the utmost importance and that it was very concerned about the incident.
The department emphasised that flight crew members must not be affected by psychoactive substances to a degree that could affect their capacity to act or could jeopardise the safety of the aircraft.
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific told the Post on Thursday morning it was investigating the second officer on flight 110, who failed the test in Sydney on Tuesday.
The airline emphasised safety was its “overriding priority” and it had a zero tolerance for staff who did not comply with alcohol rules.
“Cathay Pacific is aware of the reports and we are maintaining close communication with the relevant authorities,” a Cathay spokesman told the Post.
“The second officer in question has been suspended from flying duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation.
“Safety is our overriding priority and we have a zero-tolerance approach to non-compliance with our alcohol and other drugs (AOD) policy, which sets out the company’s standards and guidelines on handling any problematic use of alcohol or other drugs.”
The Post revealed the junior pilot’s suspension on Wednesday.
The spokesman said any staff member found to have breached the company’s AOD policy would be immediately dismissed in accordance with long-standing procedures.
He added Cathay pilots were all well aware of the policy and that all of them had received training when they joined the airline and took refresher courses and examinations, which were carried out every year.
“We conduct random AOD tests on our pilots in Hong Kong in line with industry best practices, with further random testing conducted by the relevant authorities at our outports,” the spokesman said.
He added that the airline extended its sincere apologies for the incident and that affected customers were transferred to other flights “as soon as possible”.
A Civil Aviation Department spokesman said it asked Cathay to investigate the incident and submit a report to the department.
It added the department enforced stringent requirements on local airlines to ensure adherence to the standards and practices outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Some aircrew on CX110 underwent alcohol breath tests in Sydney at the request of Australian authorities, a source said. The second officer failed the breath test, which led to his immediate suspension and the flight being delayed.
The insider said pilots normally followed the “10-hour bottle to throttle rule” by not drinking 10 hours before reporting for duty.

The Airbus A350-941 was scheduled to depart at 7.35am Sydney time on Wednesday and arrive in Hong Kong at 3.05pm.
But the eight-hour flight left Sydney at 10.51am on Thursday and arrived in Hong Kong at 6.26pm.
The source said the carrier was angered by the incident, which had caused financial losses, and Cathay might consider sacking the junior pilot involved.
He added that the junior pilot joined the airline in 2022.
Cathay’s operations manual, seen by the Post, says a breath test failure for employees in safety-sensitive roles is a reading greater than or equal to 9 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, equivalent to 0.02 per cent blood alcohol content.
The requirement is stricter than Hong Kong’s drink-driving limit, which is 22mcg/100ml of breath, or 0.05 per cent blood alcohol content.

The manual states that crew members should not report for duty if they are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
They should also not consume alcohol from 10 hours before they are scheduled to report for duty.
Hong Kong police said the consumption of two standard drinks can result in a breath alcohol concentration near the legal limit.
One standard drink is equivalent to 250ml (8.4 fluid ounces) of beer, 100ml of table wine or 30ml of whisky.
Paul Weatherilt, the chairman of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, said what Cathay had said was fair, although it was sad to see a young pilot commit such a grave mistake at the start of his career.
“The industry takes alcohol and drug abuse seriously,” he added. “Cathay has policies and training in place. Aircrew are aware of their responsibilities for sure.”


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Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong’s Cathay ordered to investigate after junior pilot fails alcohol test

Cathay pacific says safety is its “overriding priority” and it has zero tolerance for staff who do not comply its alcohol and other drugs policy. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

A Cathay plane in Sydney. Flight CX110 suffered a lengthy delay after the junior pilot failed the alcohol breath test. Photo: Shutterstock

Cathay’s operations manual states that crew members should not report for duty if they are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Junior Cathay Pacific pilot suspended after failing alcohol test before flight to Hong Kong

A Cathay plane parked at Sydney’s airport. Some aircrew of flight CX110 underwent alcohol breath tests at the request of Australian authorities, a source says. Photo: Photo: Shutterstock

The carrier dispatched another second officer as a replacement after one failed an alcohol breath test. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Images posted online showing a Cathay Pacific staff member holding the door. Photo: Threads

There is no protocol for handling fixtures falling during take-off, but the priority is to keep the cabin safe, according to Darryl Chan, a former chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ aircraft division. Photo: Threads

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Passengers are being checked in manually at the airport. Photo: Dickson Lee

A screengrab of an error on a booking page of Cathay Pacific’s website. Photo: Handout

Several Hong Kong airline websites also stopped functioning. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

Hong Kong

Transport

Civil Aviation Department says aviation safety of utmost importance and it is very concerned about incident


Civil Aviation Department says aviation safety of utmost importance and it is very concerned about incident.


Hong Kong aviation

Sydney

Airbus A350