Cathay Pacific pilots will now be subject to three-weeks isolation on return to Hong Kong. Photo / Supplied
Cathay Pacific pilots will now be subject to three-weeks isolation on return to Hong Kong. Photo / Supplied
The Hong-Kong based airline Cathay Pacific has imposed a raft of strict new rules for international crew, to avoid Covid 19 following them home.
Cabin crew and pilots returning to Hong Kong from layovers will have to isolate and "avoid unnecessary social contact" for an extended period of 21 days.
The firming up of travel restrictions and quarantine periods bring the airline workers in line with those for the general Hong Kong population, which are currently some of the harshest in the world.
There are few exemptions to the mandatory 14 to 21 day hotel quarantine prescribed to those arriving in the Cantonese City State.
Now the airline is advising that - for the first three days - returnee staff must minimise trips away from their designated quarantine address unless leaving for groceries, medical attention or up to 2 hours of solo exercise a day.
Following this initial three day period they must avoid "unnecessary social contact" for a further 18 days. This applies to all air crew returning to Hong Kong from overseas.
On Tuesday the airline's passenger and cargo arms forced 130 pilots into the three weeks of quarantine, raising concerns that the new measures could lead to a supply chain crisis.
Hong Kong's key position as an air freight and travel hub means that supply chain for the region and other parts of Asia and the Pacific. Within Hong Kong itself, which imports 90 per cent of its food, the Chinese SAR is wondering why it is now applying the strict rules to essential air crew.
Al Jazeera reported that the expansion of Hong Kong's "zero COVID" policy could lead to a global supply crisis.
Hong Kong's premier Carrie Lam announced the expansion after three pilots tested positive in the community after a layover in Frankfurt Germany.
Hong Kong's 'Zero Covid' policy has caused headaches for Cathay Hong Kong International Airport. Photo / Ross Setford
"If there are one or two more cases like this, we might lose all our cargo pilots" Carrie Lam announced yesterday.
The national carrier also announced that its crew must get a third booster dose of Covid 19 vaccine, no later than 30 April next year.
Some logistics and aviation companies worry that the extreme reaction to the positive cases may damage Hong Kong's place as an air hub in the long run.
"Apart from the inconvenience for the pilots, it will likely also incur additional costs to the airline, at a time when its financials are under stress, and weaken Hong Kong's position as an air hub," Shukor Yusof of Endau Analytics told Al Jazeera.
With 419,795 aircraft movements in 2020, Hong Kong International Airport continues to be one of the regions busiest hubs for air traffic. However, other airports are fast closing in across border in Mainland China, with neighbouring Guangzhou Baiyn reporting 373,421 movements fo 2020.
