Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said it is important that Hong Kong's aviation sector gets back to full capacity, expressing concern about a wave of flight cancellations by Cathay Pacific.

The flagship carrier called off at least 21 passenger flights to and from the city on Tuesday, after earlier announcing plans to scrap about a dozen services a day over the next two months.

Ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said the administration has told the airline's management to minimise the inconvenience to customers, as well as to review its manpower and flight capacity in the long run.

"We will be in contact with the people in the aviation industry, particularly Cathay Pacific, to ensure that the capacity is rebuilt as quickly as possible," Lee said.

"I also understand that this capacity constraint exists in many cities similar to Hong Kong. But in this competitive world, yes, I want our aviation industry to rebuild its capacity fast and completely, so that we will be competitive as a whole."

The chief executive said the number of inbound mainland and overseas travellers has returned to around 60 to 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, noting that visitors from the Philippines and Thailand have exceeded figures in 2018.

The Civil Aviation Department, meanwhile, has requested Cathay to submit a report by the end of this month to explain its manpower deployment and approach in handling flight arrangements.

In a statement, the department said it had met with Cathay management to express its concerns. It added that it will closely monitor the airline's actions and take appropriate follow-up measures after receiving the report.

The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, which represents Cathay's pilots, criticised the airline, saying the current problems were caused by management decisions.

In a statement, the association said the airline had drastically cut the salaries of frontline staff and fired pilots and flight attendants, which "has turned out to be disastrous for Hong Kong's aviation skills base".

The airline again apologised to all affected customers, adding that it would arrange alternative flights or offer refunds.
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Last updated: 2024-01-09 HKT 21:43