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Cathay Pacific Monday warned passenger capacity could be cut by about 60% and monthly cash burn may rise if Hong Kong installs new measures that require flight crew to quarantine for two weeks. Hong Kong’s flagship carrier said the expected move will increase cash burn by about HK$300m ($38.70m) to HK$400m per month, on top of current HK$1b to HK$1.5b levels. Hong Kong is set to require flight crew entering the Asian financial hub for more than two hours to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. “The new measure will have a significant impact on our ability to service our passenger and cargo markets,” Cathay said, adding that expected curbs will also reduce its cargo capacity by 25%. The airline, in an internal memo seen by Reuters, requested for volunteers among its crew who could fly for three weeks, followed by two weeks of quarantine and 14 days free of duty, adding it will be a temporary measure and not all its flight will require such an operation. “We continue to engage with key stakeholders in the Hong Kong Government,” the memo said.<br/>

Qatar Airways increased the number of flights to African destinations after the lifting of a ban from using some other Gulf states’ air space shaved hours off journey times. The airline added flights to Casablanca, Tunis, Cape Town and Johannesburg, according to a Monday statement. The carrier’s network currently stands at 120 destinations, with plans to reach 130 routes by the end of March.<br/>