Hong Kong Airlines penalised for breaching rules of Covid-19 wage relief scheme

Cash-strapped Hong Kong Airlines (HKA) has been penalised for breaching the rules of a government coronavirus wage subsidy scheme that provided it HK$154.3m (US$19.9m), the operator confirmed on Saturday. The case came to light after a concern group formed by ex-cabin crew filed a complaint against the company, saying it had noticed discrepancies in the sum the airline received and the amount passed to staff. The ailing carrier originally tapped the city’s HK$81b Employment Support Scheme (ESS) to fund salaries from June to August then again between September and November last year, money intended to protect the jobs of its then 2,940 employees. HKA said it used “all the funds” from the scheme to cover a portion of salaries during those six months. However, it has now acknowledged being hit with a “penalty” over a discrepancy between its employee headcount for the second three-month period and the headcount provided to the government. The Hong Kong Airlines Concern Group, formed by flight attendants made redundant in December, said it complained to the authorities about the financial help the airline received earlier this month.<br/>