Cathay Pacific adds planes to Hong Kong, seeks to reopen after Covid

Robert Besser
24 Jun 2022, 11:25 GMT+10

Executives from Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said the airline will bring back more planes to rebuild Hong Kong's status as a flight hub amidst easing restrictions
Since Singapore eased quarantine rules, Cathy's rival, Singapore Airlines, has witnessed a surge in demand
Hong Kong's decision to gradually reduce the quarantine time for passengers, which was as high as three weeks for arriving travelers, including from the U.S. and the UK, is encouraging

HONG KONG: Impacted by strict quarantine rules that caused a 98 percent drop in passengers, executives from Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said the airline will bring back more planes to rebuild Hong Kong's status as a flight hub amidst easing restrictions.

On the sidelines of an airline industry gathering in Doha, Cathay Chief Executive Augustus Tang told Reuters, "We have about one-third of our passenger fleet still parked in the desert, not being utilized. We are making preparations for them gradually coming back ahead of the curve."

Since Singapore eased quarantine rules, Cathy's rival, Singapore Airlines, has witnessed a surge in demand, which was back at 61 percent of pre-COVID-19 capacity in May, filling 78.2 percent of seats, their best month since the start of the pandemic.

In contrast, in May Cathay Pacific operated only 4 percent of its pre-COVID capacity, filling 60.5 percent of seats.

Hong Kong's decision to gradually reduce the quarantine time for passengers, which was as high as three weeks for arriving travelers, including from the U.S. and the UK, is encouraging, Tang stressed.

"It is moving in the right direction, and the momentum is gathering, so we are pretty optimistic that we are going to see more and more of this opening up," he added.

Cathay has resumed flights to 45 destinations, up from 30 at the start of the year, with 70 destinations to be available by the end of the year as demand improves, compared to the 108 passenger destinations it operated before the pandemic, he added.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Mediterranean Times.

More Information

26 ℃

Squalls in Alger Port

Europe

Section

Ryanair cabin staff in Belgium, Spain, Portugal stop work demanding pay increase

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Some Ryanair cabin crew went on strike Friday in Belgium, Spain, and Portugal over pay and working ...

UK government pledges action after inflation rises 9.1% in May

LONDON, England: Surging food prices in the UK pushed consumer price inflation to 9.1 percent last month, a 40-year record ...

Report: UK property prices rise slowest since January

LONDON, England: Prices for British homes this month rose at the slowest rate since January, as the cost of living ...

Russian gas cut off causes EU to return to coal power

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Amidst Europe's response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent reduction of the deliveries of Russian gas, Germany, ...

EU, India hope for free trade agreement by 2023, says officials

NEW DELHI, India: The European Union and India have relaunched talks to implement a free trade agreement, aimed to be ...

UK Armed Forces Chief: British must be capable of fighting in Europe

LONDON, England: UK General Patrick Sanders, the new Chief of the General Staff, has told troops that Britain must be ...

International

Section