Cathay Pacific needs to focus on safety and security, its customers and the completion of a 3-year financial turnaround plan, the airline's new CE told staff Monday. Augustus Tang took the top job at the airline following the sudden exit of Rupert Hogg Friday amid mounting Chinese scrutiny over the involvement of some of the carrier's staff in anti-govt protests in Hong Kong. Hogg's departure highlights growing pressure on the corporate sector in the Chinese-controlled former British colony, where Beijing is trying to quell protests that have gone on for 11 straight weeks. Tang, a former Cathay executive who had been running an aircraft engineering business for parent Swire Pacific, was appointed as the airline attempts to salvage relations with Beijing. <br/>
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Cathay Pacific is investigating rumours of an anonymous letter purportedly written by staff members expressing support for anti-govt protests in Hong Kong. “While we cannot confirm the authenticity of this letter, we are taking the matter very seriously and are conducting an internal investigation,” the carrier says. According to the South China Morning Post, the letter criticised the Hong Kong govt for its response to protestors. The letter also called out the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s move to issue a major safety risk warning to Cathay, calling it “white terror” against freedom of speech. Cathay has fired 2 pilots and 2 ground staff for their involvement in the protests, which stem from the govt’s plan to introduce an unpopular extradition bill. <br/>
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional said Monday it had pumped another US$72m into Malaysia Airlines to keep the national carrier afloat as it considers offers for the company. Malaysia Airlines has been struggling to transform its operations and return to profitability since 2 disasters struck in 2014, when flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared and flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Khazanah, which took the airline private in 2014, said it made the capital injection as part of an earlier approved funding. "All strategic options (including partnership with other airlines) are being evaluated," a Khazanah spokesman said. "Several parties have publicly expressed their interests in (the airline). Khazanah will evaluate all serious offers". <br/>
Qantas has promised to cap some airfares for locals living in certain rural and remote areas to ease the often crippling cost of flying to the outback. A recently concluded federal Senate inquiry into outback airfares heard claims of exorbitant ticket prices, including fares of A$4,800 to fly a family of 3 from Cloncurry in Queensland to Townsville and back. While the inquiry ultimately found no evidence that airlines were price-gouging customers, Qantas said it had listened. The airline will announce Tuesday that it will offer further ticket discounts with a value of up to $10m a year to residents living in 16 towns across Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Qantas already gives residents of those 16 towns discounts of at least 20% on tickets to their nearest capital city. <br/>