Hong Kong flagship airline Cathay Pacific confirmed that it is looking to gradually increase its flying capacity in the coming months following the announcement by the Hong Kong government on Friday that passenger crew would no longer be required to quarantine for three days in a hotel upon return to the city after flying.
While the Hong Kong airline is committed to increasing its capacity accordingly, it did warn that this increase may take time due to the need to retrain crew members and reactivate stored aircraft. The airline expects this capacity expansion to take up to several months to complete.
In July, Cathay Pacific’s passenger capacity was at just 12.5% of pre-pandemic levels, while cargo capacity sat at 51% due to cargo crews no longer being required to quarantine.
The airline stated that it intends to hire an additional 4,000 staff members over the next 18 to 24 months as travel rebounds, thereby reinstating some of the 6,000 jobs that were lost during the pandemic.
The Hong Kong government stated that crew members will still have to remain isolated in their hotel rooms when on layovers outside the city.