Cathay Pacific Airways will resume cargo and long-haul freighter flights to and from Hong Kong.
Flights were originally suspended because Hong Kong had instituted long isolation periods for flight crews. Under the new rule, flights crews had to isolate in a hotel for seven days instead of three days after they arrived in Hong Kong.
The struggle Cathay Pacific Airway faces is due to the Hong Kong government’s extremely strict health requirements and ‘No COVID’ policy. Cathay Pacific even fired two employees after they violated COVID-19 restrictions.
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With the rise of the Omicron variant prolonging the pandemic yet again airlines—like many other industries—are struggling to rebuild their businesses. Cathay Pacific had a better 2021 than 2020, but they still have not made a full recovery. Many countries likely want to relax COVID-19 standards to increase economic flow and help end the supply shortages.
However, given Hong Kong’s strict no COVID policy, it’s unlikely that the island’s health and safety standards will be significantly relaxed until the pandemic is entirely eradicated. Therefore, we may see a reimposition of stricter standards or flights be cancelled if cases rise in the short- to medium-term.
