Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific lacked the experience and digital capability to predict a manpower shortage, the Civil Aviation Department has found, after the flagship carrier cancelled more than 780 flights from December to February.
Cathay attributed the cancellations over the peak travel period to an “unanticipated and sustained increase in pilot sickness, most likely caused by a peak in seasonal influenza,” according to the airline’s report submitted to the department.
The carrier said it had conducted projections to ensure that it had enough pilots for the rest of the 2024 schedule, and had also assembled a task force to review its organisational structure with the aim of improving operations.
The airline also completed a prototype of a digital system to monitor manpower levels for reserve pilots in January, which will be integrated into its system by May, the document said.
Manpower monitor
The CAD, in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Monday, called Cathay’s crew planning process “ineffective” upon examination of the airline’s report, adding that it “lacked the experience and digital capability to forecast crew resources sufficiently.”
“In response, [Cathay] has proposed various mitigating measures, which include the recruitment of experienced crew planning staff, deployment of technology to monitor their crew recruitment process and availability of crew training resources, as well as putting in place an effective system to monitor the level of reserve pilots,” the CAD said.
Lawmakers will meet to discuss the issue on Friday.
The 786 passenger flights that were cancelled between December 28 and February 29 accounted for over 4 per cent of total operations, according to the CAD.
“[Cathay] has further re-assured the Government and publicly [said] that they will make their best endeavours to ensure there will be no similar flight cancellation in future,” the CAD said.
Cathay submitted its evaluation report last month after Chief Executive John Lee called on the airline in January to quickly rebuild its flight capacity. While Cathay attributed the flight cancellations to illness among its air crew, the airline’s pilots’ union pointed to a shortage of senior pilots.
The carrier reported its first annual net profit in four years last week, citing a surge in demand after the city lifted strict regulations on travellers.
In January, Cathay said it had recruited 100 new flight attendants via its first hiring drive in mainland China, adding 40 trainee pilots from China last month.
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