By Jamie Freed
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Cathay Pacific Airways said on Thursday non-local pilots based in Hong Kong had been granted work permit extensions, two weeks after it launched a recruitment drive for local pilots and closed bases in Australia and New Zealand.
However, the airline said the government had rejected work permit renewals for non-local flight cabin crew based in Hong Kong, in a decision that will lead to an undisclosed number of job losses.
Pilots on the Boeing (NYSE:BA) 747 freighter fleet and training captains will receive three-year extensions, those on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 fleets will receive a one-year extension and those on the A330 fleet will be granted a six-month extension, the company said in a statement.
Cathay last year closed its regional arm, Cathay Dragon, which had flown A330s and A320s, putting hundreds of local pilots out of work, while pilots on work permits at the main brand remained employed.
Cathay pilots with temporary visas had received shorter than usual renewals since the Cathay Dragon closure, two sources who were not authorised to speak publicly about the matter previously told Reuters.
The airline, which lacks a domestic market at a time when international borders are largely shut, reported a 99.3% fall in April passenger numbers, compared with pre-pandemic levels in April 2019.
It is heavily reliant on its 747 freighters for revenue due to the plunge in passenger demand.
Most airlines only hire locals and permanent residents, but Cathay, like many of the large Middle Eastern carriers, has typically relied heavily on foreign pilots.
In Hong Kong, expatriates can gain permanent residency after seven years and many of its local pilots are citizens of countries like Britain and Australia. However, newer hires would not meet the residency requirement.