Hong Kong’s airline asks its 27k employees to take leave amid coronavirus

Hong Kong’s airline Cathay Pacific is asking its 27,000 employees to take up to three weeks of unpaid leave, chief executive officer Augustus Tang said on Wednesday (Feb 5), as the airline faces a crisis in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.

According to reports, “I am hoping all of you will participate, from our front-line employees to our senior leaders, and to share in our current challenges,” Mr Tang said in a video message posted online.

The request lays bare desperate times at Cathay Pacific, which was hammered last year by months of political chaos and protests in Hong Kong and has now been hurt further by the fallout from the virus outbreak.

The coronavirus, which was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, spread over the Chinese New Year holiday, which would normally be one of the busiest times for regional airlines.

Instead dozens of international carriers have reduced or suspended flights to China in a bid to halt the pathogen’s spread and as passenger numbers fall off a cliff.

In his video message to employees, Mr Tang warned Cathay Pacific was experiencing “one of the most difficult Chinese New Year holidays we have ever had” because of the virus.

“And we don’t know how long it will last,” he added. “With such an uncertain outlook, preserving our cash is now the key to protecting our business.”