Asia/Pacific

Three Cathay Pacific pilots who caught COVID-19 in Germany fired

by Sarakshi Rai

Cathay Pacific has fired three pilots who caught COVID-19 while in Germany citing their involvement in a “serious breach” of procedures during “overseas layovers.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Hong Kong-based airline did not reveal details of the breach but said the three individuals were “no longer employed” by the company.

“After investigation into these cases, regrettably, the findings indicate a serious breach of requirements during crew overseas layovers,” the statement said.

South China Morning Post reported that a source within the airline said the trio were suspected of leaving their hotel rooms in Germany.

Germany recently reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

Other staff who stayed at the hotel have also been ordered to quarantine by the Hong Kong government.

Under the current rules, all Cathay Pacific staff on layovers must travel from the airport to the hotel via pre-arranged company transport and wear a face mask.

They are then required to stay in their room for the entirety of the layover, including meal times.
 
“We have further reviewed our procedures for overseas layover and when our crew return to Hong Kong and introduced new measures to protect the safety of our crew from community exposure,” a Cathay Pacific spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.
 
The airline added that it has requested that the Hong Kong government review the decision to place certain groups into government quarantine. 
 
“We acknowledge the impact these incidents have had on all of our people, their families and the community, especially those who are now being quarantined at a government facility,” the spokesperson added.

Hong Kong has one of the world’s strictest COVID-19-related travel restrictions that require individuals from high-risk countries to complete a 21-day quarantine in a hotel regardless of their vaccination status. Arrivals from other countries deemed not high risk have to quarantine for 14 days.

Hong Kong’s Transport and Housing Bureau described the breach as “deeply regretful” and has directed the airline to ensure such a breach does not occur again, according to SCMP.
    The government body pressed airlines to “strictly comply with the anti-epidemic regulatory requirements to prevent further incidents.”
     
    This comes as Cathay Pacific imposed new restrictions on its aircrews on Tuesday, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

    The new restrictions put in place by the airline direct staff returning to Hong Kong from layovers abroad to remain at home and “avoid unnecessary social contact” for 21 days.

    — Updated at 5:50 p.m.

    Asia/Pacific