Robert Besser
24 Jun 2022, 11:25 GMT+10
HONG KONG: Impacted by strict quarantine rules that caused a 98 percent drop in passengers, executives from Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said the airline will bring back more planes to rebuild Hong Kong's status as a flight hub amidst easing restrictions.
On the sidelines of an airline industry gathering in Doha, Cathay Chief Executive Augustus Tang told Reuters, "We have about one-third of our passenger fleet still parked in the desert, not being utilized. We are making preparations for them gradually coming back ahead of the curve."
Since Singapore eased quarantine rules, Cathy's rival, Singapore Airlines, has witnessed a surge in demand, which was back at 61 percent of pre-COVID-19 capacity in May, filling 78.2 percent of seats, their best month since the start of the pandemic.
In contrast, in May Cathay Pacific operated only 4 percent of its pre-COVID capacity, filling 60.5 percent of seats.
Hong Kong's decision to gradually reduce the quarantine time for passengers, which was as high as three weeks for arriving travelers, including from the U.S. and the UK, is encouraging, Tang stressed.
"It is moving in the right direction, and the momentum is gathering, so we are pretty optimistic that we are going to see more and more of this opening up," he added.
Cathay has resumed flights to 45 destinations, up from 30 at the start of the year, with 70 destinations to be available by the end of the year as demand improves, compared to the 108 passenger destinations it operated before the pandemic, he added.
Get a daily dose of Nepal National news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Nepal National.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global stocks tumbled Wednesday as lawmakers continued to navigate their way through Congress ...
PORTLAND, Maine: Fishermen in the US's only commercial-scale fishing industry for valuable baby eels, called elvers, have recorded a productive ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada: A bill was introduced in the Nevada Legislature to provide the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Due to one of the tightest labor markets in decades, teenagers, who have been vital for filling summer ...
NEW YORK, New York - Republicans were in uproar Tuesday over the deal hammered out by President Joe Biden and ...
DETROIT, Michigan: After Ford Motor Co announced an agreement with Tesla to allow autos to be charged using the Tesla ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Human Rights Watch has sharply criticized a plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, claiming ...
Diamir, Pakistan - According to the country's disaster management agency, at least 11 people were killed when an avalanche hit ...
KATHMANDU, Nepal - According to sources, Luis Stitzinger, the expedition leader of the German operator Amical Alpin, has remained out ...
KARACHI, Pakistan - Dr. Seemin Jamali, former executive director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), died on Saturday night ...
© Provided by Xinhua A Pakistani university team is working to introduce a Chinese method for producing royal jelly in ...
© Provided by Xinhua The Lao government and private sectors have been preparing for the arrival of large numbers of ...