Bonuses for pilots to get more planes in air

Cathay Pacific Airways is offering bonuses of nearly HK$100,000 to pilots who are willing to fly at least four closed-loop flights that fall under the strict quarantine regime in a bid to get more planes in the air.

Captains will get HK$20,000 in their first close-looped flight. The bonus will increase to HK$22,000 on their second closed-loop flight and HK$25,000 for their third, rising to HK$29,000 for their fourth, according to a staff memo and confirmed by the airline's press office.

That means captains will get an accumulated bonus of HK$96,000 for four closed-loop flights.

For first officers, the respective offers are HK$15,000, HK$17,000, HK$20,000 and HK$24,000.

Closed-loop flights will have aircrew operating flights for three to four weeks nonstop. They will stay in hotel isolation between flights and then spend up to two weeks in quarantine at the end of their deployment before being allowed to return home.

Those tough conditions and long separation from family and friends have made it difficult for Cathay to adequately staff and operate its services.

"Since closed-loop rosters were introduced as part of the operation under the Covid restrictions, we have continued to monitor and adapt as the situation has evolved," a Cathay spokesman said.

"For pilots who sign up to fly in the closed loop, we have added opportunities to have more time away from flying after completing their loops as well as updating their remuneration to account for changes in our schedule and operation. Encouraging more pilots to sign up to closed-loop rosters will allow us to spread the flying tasks across more pilots while continuing to keep Hong Kong connected to the world," the spokesman added.

Cathay has lurched from the 2019 protests that triggered a management overhaul, to the two-year pandemic that has crippled the carrier.

Without a domestic market to fall back on and Hong Kong largely isolated from the rest of the world by its strict zero-Covid policy, the airline has had to rely on a HK$39 billion government bailout and 6,000 jobs cuts to survive. The carrier is operating just 2 percent of prepandemic passenger capacity and 20 percent of cargo capacity - the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

Airline crew have also come under close scrutiny after an outbreak of the Omicron variant in the city. Two former Cathay workers were arrested earlier this week for breaking pandemic rules and face fines and six months in jail if convicted.

The government is focused on reopening the border with the mainland, the last significant zero-Covid holdout after countries like Singapore and Australia pivoted to viewing the virus as endemic.

The city has also ordered the culling of thousands of hamsters, rabbits and chinchillas after an outbreak of the Delta variant was traced to a pet shop, where nearly a dozen hamsters imported from the Netherlands were found to be infected with Covid.

According to an American Chamber of Commerce survey, Hong Kong's stringent travel restrictions are now the biggest challenge for US businesses in the city.

Quarantine rules for travelers make it difficult for offices to operate, with about 44 percent of respondents saying business was affected by significant disruption.

More than 30 percent said they had to delay new investments.