Cathay confirms closure of Australian base

Cathay Pacific has confirmed it will shut its Australian pilot base in a move that will lead to 120 staff facing a choice between redundancy or relocating to Hong Kong. The announcement comes only months after the business shut its Canadian pilot base, which followed the closing of its regional offshoot Cathay Dragon and overseas cabin crew bases, cutting 5,900 jobs since the start of the pandemic. The news was broken to staff via emails to pilots, only hours after receiving information about their recruitment efforts in Hong Kong. Aircrew general manager Deborah McConnochie apologised for “not being able to find an alternative”. “This is not a decision we have made lightly and is not a reflection on the performance of our Australian-based pilots, we will now do all we can to support you through this process” said McConnochie. The Australian reported that more than 40 of those affected are based in Melbourne, 27 are in Sydney, 26 in Brisbane, 15 in Perth and nine in Adelaide.<br/>