Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has lost over half its senior pilots since 2019. According to the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, the union representing Cathay pilots published a release titled Exodus of Pilot Talent, and the numbers have increased since then. About 1,800 pilots left the airline during the pandemic, up from 1,500 last October.

High Attrition Rates

It goes without saying that airlines worldwide faced one of, if not the greatest, challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the world virtually stopped, and almost overnight, airports were emptied of passengers, and aircraft were parked for an unknown period. Cathay Pacific was no stranger to challenges, facing some of the tightest and longest COVID-19 travel restrictions of any territory on the planet. During that period, many of its pilots left and continue to leave today.

According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association Chairman Paul Weatherilt shared that around 1,800 pilots left the airline during the pandemic. Cathay recruited about 400, but that is almost one-fourth the number of pilots it lost. Morale has been low since the pandemic, as salaries and benefits received significant reductions.

Significant pay and benefit cuts

Under the current contract, negotiated during the pandemic, some pilots had their pay reduced by as much as 40%. In addition to salary reductions, Cathay stopped paying its pilots for the time spent at the gate, and taxiing to and from gates, only paying them while the wheels were moving. This led to significant congestion at Hong Kong Airport as pilots began taxiing at lower speeds in order to receive more pay, leading the airport authority to alert Cathay Pacific to the ongoing problem.

A pilot, whose name was not revealed, told the Post that every minute less of work resulted in significant losses for pilots,

“In the old days, if I was given 10 hours of work on that day, I would get 10 hours’ pay. But now we are only getting paid counting the time from when the wheels move and stop by the minute. Just imagine, a minute of work is worth a few hundred dollars for captains. That’s a huge difference."

Cathay provides its pilots with medical, housing, and education benefits, all of which were significantly cut. The wife of a senior pilot at Cathay told the South China Morning Post that during the last three years, their family had moved homes twice, and one child even had to switch schools because of the cuts from her husband's employer. The pilot in question has worked for Cathay for more than 20 years.

The pilot's wife, named Lee in the Post's article to remain anonymous, said

"There is a lot of guilt I think the pilots feel - of letting their families down, of not being able to provide for them as well, of how suddenly things turned despite the fact that they haven’t done anything wrong.”

The current attrition rate at Cathay Pacific has stabilized. The airline told Simple Flying,

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

Source: South China Morning Post

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  Cathay Pacific

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  CX/CPA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Hong Kong International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1946

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Ronald Lam

  Country:

  China (Special Administrative Region)

  Region:

  Asia