Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s leading airline, was likely hoping for a good start to 2024. The carrier is expecting its first annual profit in four years, after the COVID pandemic severely affected its operations. Yet the carrier is instead scrambling to avoid a labor crunch, after cancelling dozens of flights to free up manpower ahead of the busy Lunar New Year period.
The airline is now cutting the time needed to become a captain, letting first officers apply for captain training after 3,000 flying hours, down from 4,000 hours. Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department approved the decision in November, and the airline introduced it into its operations manual last week, according to the South China Morning Post.
