Cathay Pacific cabin crews are set to launch industrial action over the Christmas and new year holidays, in a blow to the Hong Kong carrier’s recovery from a pandemic that crippled flights and slashed passenger levels. The airline’s flight attendants union said it was urging members to “work to rule” — keeping strictly to contract terms — because of “inhumane” flight patterns and excessive workloads. The action comes during the peak holiday season, but Cathay said flight services would continue as scheduled, adding “there is no need for concern . . . we will continue to listen to and act upon feedback from our crew”. Hong Kong has been encouraging visitors and travel with the gradual relaxation of Covid measures. It scrapped hotel quarantine in September and last week began to allow inbound travellers to visit bars and restaurants in their first three days after arrival. The Asian financial hub’s economy has taken a hit from the long-running restrictions, with officials expecting a 3.2% contraction in annual gross domestic product, after GDP shrank 4.5% in Q3. Although flying levels are picking up, Cathay only operated at 20 per cent of its pre-pandemic passenger capacity levels last month. The carrier is targeting 70 per cent of pre-pandemic passenger levels by the end of next year and full capacity by 2024. However, pilots and cabin crew have complained about “stressful” working conditions after the airline laid off thousands of staff in 2020 due to the pandemic, while many more left after pay cuts and because of tough quarantine rules. “We hereby urge you to take real actions to support the flight attendants’ union in fighting for what you deserve,” the cabin crew union of the Chinese territory’s de facto flagship carrier said.<br/>
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A Qantas flight from Singapore to London has made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan, as the plane was flying over central Asia, due to concerns there was smoke in the cargo hold, with passengers now worried they could miss Christmas. Flight QF1 landed safely at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev international airport on Friday and was met by emergency services on the runway, after pilots reported 7700 – a code used to communicate an onboard emergency to air traffic controllers. Flight radars show the plane departed Singapore’s Changi airport and had been in the air for about nine hours before it abruptly made a 180-degree turn and issued the emergency code as it was flying over Georgian airspace. A Qantas spokesperson said initial investigations on the ground had yet to find evidence of smoke in the cargo hold. “The aircraft intermittently alerted the pilots to the potential of smoke in the cargo hold. Although it was considered likely to be a sensor fault, the aircraft diverted to Baku as a safety precaution. Initial investigations have found no evidence of smoke in the cargo hold,” the spokesperson said. “We thank customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their way as quickly as possible.” Engineers were inspecting the aircraft prior to the continuation of the journey, the spokesperson said. Baku airport released a statement via social media stating the emergency landing request was due to smoke generated in the cargo compartment. The statement said there were no injuries and the plane landed at 7.08am local time. There were 356 passengers on board.<br/>