Cathay Pacific plans to hire hundreds of pilots next year, amid reports of a rising number of resignations as Hong Kong’s Covid policies severely constrain manpower and weigh on morale at the airline. “We plan to employ several hundred pilots in the coming year, many of whom have already expressed an interest in being part of the Cathay brand,” a spokesperson for the airline said Friday, without providing details of current headcount. Hong Kong’s requirement for most inbound travelers to quarantine for as long as 21 days has forced Cathay into a so-called closed-loop system whereby pilots and crew have to spend weeks working and self-isolating away from home. The airline has cut flights this month due to operational and travel restrictions. “These rules and the length of time they have been in force are placing a burden on our aircrew,” the spokesperson said. “The environment has been challenging for everyone.” Matters came to a head in mid-November, when three Cathay pilots tested positive for Covid-19 after a layover in Frankfurt, the airline’s European cargo hub. Authorities ordered all aircrew who had stopped in Frankfurt since the start of the month into a government quarantine facility for 21 days. Cathay fired the trio for a “serious breach.” <br/>
oneworld
Cathay Pacific has cancelled a third of its Friday flights amid the fallout over Hong Kong’s planned tightening of aircrew rules to prevent the Omicron coronavirus variant seeping into the community. According to live flight data, 23 Cathay services had been axed out of the 67 scheduled to depart Hong Kong International Airport, as of 1.30pm. None of its cargo flights were affected. On Thursday, the Hong Kong flag carrier withdrew 28 out of 61 planned passenger flights and five out of 15 cargo-only services.<br/>
A non-stop Qantas flight from Sydney to Delhi took off on Monday morning, the first time the airline has flown to the Indian city in more than 40 years. The airline is operating three flights a week on the route and will launch four weekly flights from Melbourne to Delhi from December 22. Qantas will use an Airbus A330 on both routes and fly, for technical reasons, via Adelaide outbound. The return legs will fly directly to Sydney and Melbourne. The two routes have been the airline's fastest-selling since borders reopened, according to the airline, with most flights in December sold out. Qantas has not flown regularly to Delhi since 1974 and stopped its last regular India route, Brisbane to Mumbai, in 2012. Qantas domestic and international chief executive Andrew David says demand for the flights has surpassed the airline's expectations. "There's a huge amount of pent up demand from friends and family wanting to reunite after being separated for so long," he said. "Forward bookings for the next few months are well ahead of our initial forecasts, so while it's early days, it's an exciting start. "The level of pent up demand on this route can be seen by the fact that almost all customers travelled as planned, despite the temporary three-day additional isolation requirement."<br/>