Cathay Pacific bringing back more planes to restore Hong Kong hub

Cathay Pacific Airways, battered by strict quarantine rules that have led to a 98% fall in passenger numbers, is preparing to bring back more planes to rebuild Hong Kong's hub status as restrictions ease, the airline's CE said. "We have about one-third of our passenger fleet still parked in the desert, not being utilised," Cathay CE Augustus Tang said on the sidelines of an airline industry gathering in Doha. "We are making preparations for them gradually coming back ahead of the curve." Rival Singapore Airlines has seen a surge in demand since Singapore's quarantine rules eased. It was back at 61% of pre-COVID-19 capacity in May, filling 78.2% of seats in its best month since the start of the pandemic.mCathay, by contrast, operated only 4% of its pre-COVID capacity in May and filled 60.5% of its seats. The need for crew members on passenger flights to quarantine in a hotel for three days after flying to destinations outside mainland China means it has few frequencies to offer potential transit passengers. Passengers heading to Hong Kong also face a week of hotel quarantine on arrival, limiting demand. Tang said it was encouraging that Hong Kong had gradually been reducing the quarantine time required, which once was as high as three weeks for passengers from destinations including the United States and Britain.<br/>