Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific is only expecting to return to pre-Covid passenger capacity by the end of 2024.
The carrier has been badly hit by the Chinese region’s strict Covid entry rules, although it has been rebuilding its European network, particularly to London, following the end of its mandatory hotel quarantine regime in September.
Cathay Pacific Group, which also includes HK Express, said it was adding another 3,000 flights in the current quarter and would reach around one-third of pre-pandemic capacity by the end of this year. Capacity will then return to around 70 per cent of 2019 levels by the end of 2023.
The group’s CEO Augustus Tang said that capacity will have doubled by the end of 2022 compared with its operations in August, as the company takes a “measured and responsible approach” to rebuilding its network.
“As the Coivd-19 situation eases, airlines around the world have been rebuilding their capacity,” added Tang.
“This requires the global aviation ecosystem, including airports, suppliers and our own airlines to undertake a substantial amount of preparation with regards to crew and ground employees, aircraft reactivation and recruitment.
“The city’s borders were closed for much longer than other markets and importantly, aircrew in Hong Kong were uniquely under quarantine constraints that weren’t lifted until September.”
Tang added that the “short-term bottlenecks” in restoring more flights were being caused by the recertification of pilots who have not been flying regularly and the reactivation of aircraft.
The group said it was “confident” about the long-term prospects of Hong Kong’s aviation sector and “looks forward to the complete removal of all travel constraints” by the territory’s government.