zakuivcustom wrote:RoyalBrunei757 wrote:Hong Kong Airlines to axe 50% staff, focus on cargo-only operations
https://www.aerotime.aero/28094-hong-ko ... 6FxpjceBJk
Salient Points:
1. The airline is considering cutting its workforce by half in bid to survive the pandemic.
2. Will temporarily focus on cargo-only operations.
3. Grounded its entire fleet of A320, deployed eight A330 on cargo-only flight.
4. Since that start of pandemic they have returned 5 A330 and 4 A350 to its lessors.
5. At the start of 2020, before going through multiple redundancy exercises, the airline employed 3,481 people and operated 39 planes. As of December 2020, the airline's workforce stood at 2,300, down 34 per cent from its peak.
The city’s second largest air carrier Hong Kong Airlines is reportedly considering cutting its workforce by half in a bid to survive the ongoing pandemic. As part of a survival plan, the cash-strapped airline would temporarily focus on cargo-only operations.
The ailing Hong Kong Airlines would ground its entire fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft and deploy eight Airbus A330s with focus on only cargo operations, according to insider sources familiar with the matter, quoted by the South China Morning Post on June 7, 2021.
I am personally surprise that they are even surviving to begin with. HKG passenger flights are still close to zero (affecting CX also) thanks to the idiot quarantine rules (and IMHO an excessive fear over any virus case). HNA Group was in enough trouble with HX basically gutted their long-haul ops even before the pandemic.
I am as surprised as you too. After all the troubles engulfing the Group and staff layoff, it seems HNA Group are willing to go length to rescue its flagship Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines. What is the new quaratine rules for new arrival in Hong Kong? My CX friend did 21 days cycle (HKG-LHR-HKG-LHR-HKG-SUB-HKG-LHR-HKG-MNL-HKG-MNL), the working pattern looks so mind boggling! o.0