Local pilots 'stuck on the tarmac'

Cathay Pacific-trained pilots are frustrated about their career paths and pay, with some claims that turbulence is being caused by fast promotions for newly hired foreign pilots.

One complaint is that second officers on the Airbus fleet could be upgraded to first officers within months, while those on Boeing 777 aircraft must wait for more than seven years to be upgraded.

Some first officers with experience outside Cathay were upgraded before pilots who have served the airline for more than 10 years, it is also claimed.

So Cathay pilots are suffering low morale, a union says, going on to claim the airline violates the SAR's employment policy that prioritizes local workers.

Paul Weatherilt, chairman of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, told The Standard the airline has hired at least 100 direct-entry first officers with experience outside Hong Kong, accounting for 10 percent of the airline's first officers.

"The association believes this contravenes the Hong Kong government's general employment policy, which prioritizes Hong Kong workers over foreign workers," he said. "Other countries have similar policies."

Upgrading a Cathay second officer to first officer means the airline must find another second officer as a replacement, Weatherilt said.

He added that the airline can save overall training costs by directly hiring first officers with experience outside Hong Kong.

Weatherilt also said direct-entry first officers have general flying experience but are not familiar with Hong Kong and Cathay procedures. Locally trained pilots, however, have a better understanding of the airline's culture, procedures and aircraft.

"More generally, we believe CX second officers make the best first officers," Weatherilt added, "and CX first officers make the best CX captains."

Second officers have a target annual salary of HK$564,000 while first officers can earn HK$865,000 a year.

Weatherilt said it usually takes a second officer three to four years to be upgraded to a first officer and over 10 years to become a captain as it requires a pilot to accumulate at least 4,000 flying hours.

He also said pilots on different aircraft are upgraded at different paces as "there is no contractual commitment to this type of fairness" at Cathay.

"By prioritizing upgrades on the same type of aircraft, CX makes some savings on cost. However, there is an impact on pilot morale, which is already at rock bottom."

He claimed that over half of Cathay captains have left in recent years.

It is also difficult for second officers with less experience if they miss out on promotion, Weatherilt said. "Some second officers are doing second jobs. They may change to another job and leave the aviation industry if they lose faith."

In response, Cathay Pacific confirmed it promotes pilots at different paces.

"As we are rebuilding Cathay and reconnecting the Hong Kong aviation hub with the world the services of each of our aircraft fleets have been growing at a different pace to meet commercial and operational demands," the airline said. "We have a comprehensive training plan in place and are on track to support the airline's growth targets."

This, the carrier states, includes promotions for pilots who may have left Cathay during Covid-related cutbacks but have lately rejoined. Promotion plans, it added, also takes into account factors such as the length of service with the airline, aircraft type and the amount of training required.

Cathay also said the entire aviation ecosystem in Hong Kong - and globally, in fact - faces airport resource and manpower issues.

"The attrition rate has normalized across all staff groups, including the pilots. We have also been pleased to welcome back some 250 Cathay pilots, including captains and first officers. We are on track with a comprehensive plan to recruit top talent to support our operations and drive our rebuilding efforts.

"Some 2,000 new employees joined the group in 2022, and we have a target to recruit a further 3,000 in 2023. Recruitment activities will continue in 2024."

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com