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Removal of crew quarantine rules necessary to expand capacity says Cathay Pacific Airways
August 17th 2022
Cathay Pacific Airways chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam, said recent eased quarantine restrictions had boosted demand at the Hong Kong-based carrier but cautioned passenger capacity will continue to be limited unless rules for flight crews are lifted. Read More » “The latest adjustments to quarantine arrangements for passengers arriving in Hong Kong are expected to have a positive impact on inbound traffic as well as leisure travel among Hong Kong residents,” Lam said in the carrier’s monthly traffic report. “Student traffic to the U.S. and the UK also is forecast to provide our travel business with a strong boost in August and September. However, our ability to add passenger flight capacity will remain limited unless the restrictions on our air crew are lifted.”
Cathay Pacific flew 219,746 passengers in July, up 46.4%, month-on-month from the 150,077 it transported in June and more than four times the 54,092 passengers the oneworld alliance member carried in July last year. Passenger load factor reached a pandemic high of 73.7% for the month compared with 67% in June and 28.5% in July 2021. Lam said capacity for the reported month was 12.4% of pre-COVID-19 levels.
