A US pilot school has suspended all solo flights for Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. cadets after a number of training incidents that damaged planes and went unreported by the trainee aircrew. Phoenix, Arizona-based AeroGuard Flight Training Center has told all Cathay cadets that “effective immediately, all solo flights are grounded” after AeroGuard saw “an alarming increase in solo incidents during cadet training,” according to a memo seen by Bloomberg News. “These incidents were not minor — one wingtip collision with a fixed object, one bounced landing leading to a substantial prop strike on the runway and most recently, a complete runway excursion. While each situation was unique, in each case the concern was the same — required consultation did not occur” and in two of the three instances, “the students failed to properly report the damage.” Cathay, in a response to Bloomberg, acknowledged the events took place and said it is taking them seriously. “These incidents involve our sponsored students, who will become our employees upon successful graduation from the training course. They will then need to undergo additional structured training before being assigned any flying duty,” Cathay said in a statement, adding that “safety guides every decision we make and we fully support the decision of the training school.” AeroGuard Flight Training Center didn’t respond to a call seeking comment outside of normal US business hours. The suspension of solo flights is a blow to Cathay at a time it’s trying to restock its depleted pilot ranks post Covid. Cathay, along with several other airlines, relies on AeroGuard to churn out hundreds of freshman pilots every year. <br/>
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Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will launch direct passenger flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on October 28 in a bid to further increase connectivity, trade and cultural exchanges between the city and countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung called the aviation partnership between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia a “significant milestone” as an agreement between the carrier and the Saudi Air Connectivity Programme was signed on Thursday at a ceremony at The Peninsula hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. “Following Cathay Pacific’s initiative to commence services to Riyadh, we will be able to expand Hong Kong’s aviation network and enhance air connectivity between us and the Middle East, which further consolidates [our] status as an international aviation hub,” he said. The transport minister added that “there are still a lot of possibilities to pursue in our relationship”, pointing to “tourism, trade and many other areas”. Cathay will operate three return flights per week between Hong Kong and Riyadh with its Airbus A350-900 aircraft across business, premium economy and economy classes. Analysts had warned that Hong Kong and the airline – the only local carrier that can provide long-haul flights – were lagging behind mainland Chinese counterparts. Guangzhou already provides direct services to Kuwait and Riyadh, while China Southern Airlines launched non-stop flights from Shenzhen to the Saudi capital on June 3.<br/>