Cathay Pacific Airways has started recruiting Hong Kong-based pilots again after large scale layoffs, with full vaccination as a prerequisite.

The airline rolled out its latest recruitment campaign yesterday, hiring pilots as it tried to "safeguard" its position ahead of a recovery in international travel. This is the company's first recruitment in 18 months.

However, the Hong Kong flag carrier has no plans to resume its cadet pilot program at the moment.

"While we are still not seeing immediate, meaningful signs of growth, the recruitment we are conducting at this stage is about forward planning. We will be looking to hire qualified talent who are already in Hong Kong and have the right to live and work here," a spokesman said.

Cathay expects a resumption of international travel to the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Japan and South Korea to be on the radar if those countries reach herd immunity.

In October, the airline dismissed 5,300 staff in Hong Kong - 4,000 cabin crew members, 600 pilots from Cathay Pacific and 700 ground and headquarters staff - and folded Cathay Dragon.

The mass sacking was part of Cathay's HK$2.2 billion restructuring plan for sustainable development amid the pandemic.

For newly hired pilots, they will need to receive two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, as it is one of the listed requirements.

Cathay previously warned that unvaccinated staff may risk getting an unsustainable flight schedule, adding that it was essential for any Hong Kong-based aircrew to receive their jabs.

Cathay's director of service delivery, Alex McGowan, wrote in his internal letter in May that around 3,500 cabin crew members had taken the shots, of which 2,000 were fully vaccinated.

Cathay said it would not link inoculation to continued employment, but warned it "may be rapidly approaching this decision point."

Jobs in the air as Cathay charts route to recovery