Cathay Pacific offers lifeline to pilots at Hong Kong Airlines

Cathay Pacific offered to take on some pilots from a financially troubled rival if it was forced to make redundancies, the Post has learned. Hong Kong’s flag carrier said it had contacted Hong Kong Airlines’ management team in recent weeks and was greeted with a positive response, as it looks to replace retiring cockpit crews and recruit pilots for future expansion. HKA narrowly avoided going out of business over the weekend, after satisfying the city’s airline licensing authority that it had raised enough cash to carry on. Chris Kempis, Cathay Pacific’s director of flight operations, revealed the offer to take on staff on the sidelines of a company event on Monday.<br/>“We approached the management of Hong Kong Airlines and said if you are looking at a system were you to make some pilots redundant we will be interested in helping you with that redundancy,” he said. “We had a direct communication with the management, not the pilots, and they said they would be interested should it occur. Luckily it hasn’t occurred.”<br/>