Perhaps the cHong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific will find a positive effect in the appearance of the Omicron variant with the Covid pandemic. The appearance of this variant was immediately followed by the announcement of a reduction in the carrier's scheduled flights.
Le South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's leading English-language newspaper, reports that the airline cancelled 28 of its 61 flights on 2 December.almost half of its capacity. The carrier has the lowest available capacity of any international airline in Asia. It operates an estimated 7% of capacity...
Perhaps the cHong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific will find a positive effect in the appearance of the Omicron variant with the Covid pandemic. The appearance of this variant was immediately followed by the announcement of a reduction in the carrier's scheduled flights.
Le South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's leading English-language newspaper, reports that the airline cancelled 28 of its 61 flights on 2 December.almost half of its capacity. The carrier has the lowest available capacity of any international airline in Asia. It is estimated to be operating only 7% of its 2019 schedule capacity. And the rest of the month is likely to be similar.
For business travellers who still dare to try to get to Hong Kong, it's an obstacle course. From Europe, Cathay now operates just one daily flight from London Heathrow. It also operates a flight to Frankfurt in partnership with Lufthansa, using a Lufthansa aircraft and staff.
Once the flight has been booked, passengers still have to buy their compulsory three-week quarantine in 40 government-designated hotels. The price for these prison-like stays varies between HK$ 490 and HK$ 16,000 (€54 to €1,760). Only then is it possible to live a 'normal' life in the city.
Pilots leave the company
Because now we have to rely on Possible flight cancellations by Cathay Pacific. The airline is facing a severe shortage of pilots. Not only because they have to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel on their return to France. But also because many have decided to leave the company. Four pilots recently told AFP that they each know at least a dozen of their colleagues who have resigned. That would make at least forty pilots.
Cathay's management does not deny this. Elle says it faced an "abnormally high" rate of resignations in October. However, the carrier is trying to retain its pilots with a "closed circle" programme that involves 5 weeks of flights and quarantine, followed by two weeks' holiday. A proposal which does not seem to have much success with those concerned. Particularly with Christmas just around the corner.
Consequence: the airline has already announced that it will be unable to meet demand in December, with at least a third of its passenger flights cancelled. So the Omicron variant comes just at the right time to justify a further tightening of the screws in Cathay's programme.
