Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International) has closed its last offshore pilot bases, shutting down a handful of surviving US bases at the end of October, and losing another 60 US-based pilots in the process. Since the start of Covid-19, the beleaguered airline has closed pilot bases in the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand as now bases at Los Angeles International, San Francisco, New York JFK, and Anchorage Ted Stevens.
Per Bloomberg, the closure of the US bases saw some pilots relocate to Hong Kong but around 60 resign. Globally, Cathay Pacific's pilot head count is reported to have declined by around 25% since the start of the pandemic, to just under 2,500 at the end of September 2022. The airline closed all of its offshore flight attendant bases in 2020.
“After a review of our pilot bases in the US, and in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, the US bases closed as of 31 October 2022, and a number of pilots have relocated to join the team in Hong Kong,” the airline said in a statement.
The local pilots' union, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, says between 30 and 50 Cathay pilots continue to resign each month, citing the closed-loop rosters, mandatory quarantine, and constant Covid tests as key reasons why. The airline is reportedly planning to recruit around 700 Hong Kong-based pilots over the next 12 months at pay rates substantially less than what is paid to pilots based elsewhere.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, 104 of the airline's 188 aircraft are in the air, with large numbers of their A330-300, B777-300, and B777-300ER fleets still grounded. Cathay Pacific's active aircraft are flying to 89 destinations in 32 countries.
Earlier this week, outgoing Cathay Pacific CEO Augustus Tang said that the airline was on track to operate around one-third of its pre-pandemic capacity by the end of 2022, 70% by the end of 2023, and 100% by the end of 2024. He said that the airline was "taking a measured and responsible approach to managing our own road to recovery, with a need to address challenges that are unique to Hong Kong."
