Cathay sends three cadet pilots packing

Wallis Wang

In a concerning development, Cathay Pacific has removed three cadet pilots from its United States training program after they failed to report multiple flight incidents, the airline announced.

The issues occurred at the AeroGuard Flight Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and included a wingtip collision and bounced landing.

The incidents led to the suspension of all solo flights for Cathay-sponsored cadets at the school while an investigation was conducted.

Following a comprehensive review, Cathay in a statement said the three sponsored pilots have now been dismissed from the airline's Cadet Pilot Training Program.

Solo operations for the remaining cadets at the school have since resumed.

"Being aligned with a just and open reporting culture is fundamental to being a Cathay Pacific pilot," said Chris Kempis, the director of flight operations. "We recognize that mistakes will occur, particularly during training, but we have a zero-tolerance approach to non-compliance with flight incident reporting requirements."

Cathay said it is committed to providing "comprehensive training" to ensure future pilots can "uphold the highest levels of safety and professionalism." It also said its recruitment process is "extremely stringent," with less than 8 percent of applicants admitted to the program.

However, the chairman of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, Paul Weatherilt, raised concerns about the level of training provided to Cathay's cadet pilots.

"These cadets receive minimal training. CX is one of the very few airlines that doesn't give their cadets full pilot training before they are flying passengers as part of an augmented crew. Like other pilot unions around the world, we think our cadets should receive full pilot ratings," Weatherilt said.

He also said the cadets, upon completing the US training course and returning to Hong Kong, would only undergo four induction training flights before a final check. That is not full pilot training and only gives them a restricted P2X rating, meaning they are not qualified to land or take off, he added.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com