Cathay Pacific is to cancel more flights over the coming months, following changes to quarantine rules for crew members by Hong Kong authorities.
In an update posted on its website the flag carrier said that “the latest tightening of aircrew quarantine restrictions continues to constrain our ability to operate flights as planned”.
As a result Cathay said that it intended to operate a skeleton passenger flight schedule in January, and would be making “significant changes” to its schedules going forward, “including cancellations of passenger flights to and from Hong Kong from now to tentatively the first quarter of 2022”.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to your travel plans, especially during the festive season,” the airline added.
The Financial Times reports that it has seen an internal memo sent to Cathay Pacific pilots, which confirms that cargo air crew who were previously exempt from quarantine upon arrival must now undergo seven days of mandatory isolation in a hotel.
As a result the carrier has also cancelled all long-haul freighter and “preighter” (cargo-only passenger services) until January 6.
Cathay Pacific has been particularly badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with Hong Kong’s strict rules on quarantining decimating demand.
Earlier this month the carrier published traffic figures for November, showing a 97.3 per cent fall in passenger numbers compared to November 2019.
