London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to close London pilot base

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to close London pilot base

The closure of Cathay’s British outpost will be followed by a review of its sole remaining pilot base in the United States.

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has confirmed it is closing its London pilot base, leaving most of the 100 cockpit crew members employed there out of a job.

The closure of Cathay’s British outpost will be followed by a review of its sole remaining pilot base in the United States – part of continuous cost-cutting efforts at the pandemic-battered airline – placing 140 jobs there on the line as well.

Pilots at the London base were told on Monday in a memo that their services would no longer be required, but the carrier said it would relocate some eligible people back to Hong Kong.

Cathay added it would start the review of its US base, once its largest overseas pilot centre, later this year. The review and the axing of the British base follow the termination of some 280 crew jobs in Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

“Cathay Pacific has informed the concerned pilots of its decision to close the pilot base in London after an intensive consultation period,” a company spokeswoman said. “The decision is not one we have taken lightly and does not reflect on the professionalism of the pilots based in London.”

The spokeswoman also confirmed the plan to review the US outpost. US-based pilots have been receiving just half of their salary since May last year.

The Post previously revealed Cathay’s intention to close its London pilot base in July.

The beleaguered airline has consolidated its staff at its Hong Kong hub, where many pilots remain grounded and 89 aircraft – or almost two-fifths of the fleet – were in indefinite storage as of June.

Cathay has noted that most of its overseas pilots have not flown since early 2020.


Cathay pointed out that the bulk of its pilots employed overseas had not flown since early 2020, and that local staff had agreed to permanent pay cuts in response to the airline’s coronavirus-related restructuring to avoid redundancies.

The cost-cutting lay-offs stretch back almost three years, starting with the closure of cabin crew bases in the US and Canada that resulted in several hundred staff members being jettisoned.

In the first half of 2021, Cathay continued to push a range of permanent and temporary staffing cuts in a bid to reduce costs. As a result, the group’s workforce has fallen by a further 2,500, to 23,100, since the end of last year. That was on top of the record 5,900 jobs it shed in October 2020 when it axed its regional brand Cathay Dragon.

On Wednesday, the airline said it had also let go of “a small number” of staff who had declined to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Since September 1, the carrier has been operating all flights with crews who had received their jabs.

Cathay recorded a shortfall of HK$7.6 billion (US$977 million) in the first half of the year, bringing its accumulated pandemic-inflicted losses to HK$29.2 billion.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×