Cathay Pacific suspends all long-haul cargo flights after Hong Kong ramps up quarantine for its aircrew from 3 to 7 days

Cathay Pacific is suspending all long-haul cargo and cargo-only passenger flights with immediate effect for seven days in another blow to an already strained global supply chain. The move follows Hong Kong authorities tightening Covid-19 quarantine requirements for aircrew - directly affecting the city’s flagship carrier - from three days’ mandatory confinement at a designated hotel to seven days, the Post has learned. In an internal memo obtained by the Post, the airline said the new quarantine requirement would come into effect after midnight on Friday. Cathay said a further tightening of rules was being made after a cockpit crew member tested positive for coronavirus on the fifth day of his arrival. In a memo to staff, the airline said it would need to activate closed-loop operations for cargo crew, which requires staff to volunteer for a lengthy stint away from home of up to several weeks. “We cannot transition to closed loop operations overnight and we need to take a breather to fully consider all dependencies, including hotel room availability, which is critical,” airline director of flight operations Chris Kempis said. “As a result, we are stopping all 747 and cargo-only passenger flight layover operations with immediate effect for a period of seven days and planning to restart these during the course of the day on January 6th.” Kempis said the airline would press ahead with plans to send crew overseas to Los Angeles and reactivate its United States pilot base. The airline cancelled 17 of its 61 passenger flights on Friday along with five out of 17 for cargo.<br/>