Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines sacks team behind cancellation of over 100 flights
Carrier says staff failed to follow protocol, made bad decisions and communicated poorly, as it vows ‘stringent’ reviews from now on
Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines has blamed new employees, poor decision-making and external factors for the recent cancellation of more than 100 flights, saying in a report ordered by the government that the staff responsible have been fired.
In its report to the Civil Aviation Department released on Wednesday, the airline acknowledged concerns had been raised over its decision last month to cancel 128 flights throughout February and March, affecting 5,500 passengers travelling to and from Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
“[The airline] implemented a revised corporate structure in non-operational areas in late 2024, which included investing in employing extra new commercial and planning management personnel,” the report said, adding the staff had prior experience at other carriers.
But the report said the team failed to heed the airline’s “required protocol for cancellation decision-making, took excessive time to make decisions, communicated the decision poorly and did not consider the [company’s] customer service response capability”.
The report said the team had since been “removed from the company”, and that “stringent, weekly management reviews” would be conducted from now on.
The airline also said high-level authorisation would be required for any future cancellations.