Cathay Pacific Chief Rupert Hogg Quits Post

Hong Kong flagship airline Cathay Pacific, which has been rocked by events linked to the anti-extradition bill protests, announced on Friday that Rupert Hogg has stepped down from the CEO post.

In a statement, Hogg said he is stepping down "to take responsibility as a leader of the company in view of the recent events and that he is not aware of any disagreement with the board".

Hogg, who had been with Cathay's parent company Swire for over three decades, took over the top post at the airline in May 2017.

Augustus Tang, who is currently the chief of Haeco, the aircraft engineering and maintenance wing under Swire, will replace Hogg as the new CEO, said Cathay.

In the Cathay statement, John Slosar, chairman of the airline said "recent events have called into question Cathay Pacific’s commitment to flight safety and security and put our reputation and brand under pressure".

"This is regrettable as we have always made safety and security our highest priority," he said.

The unexpected resignation of Hogg comes as the airlines has been caught in a storm after the mainland authorities asked the flagship airline of Hong Kong to clamp down on employees who were supporting the ongoing campaign against Carrie Lam administration.

Along with Hogg, the chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo, also announced his departure.

Last week, the mainland's Civil Aviation Administration had warned Cathay to take action against employees linked to the protests, saying there's an increased risk to flight security between Hong Kong and the mainland.

The mainland authorities also said the identities of flight crew working on flights to the mainland or across Chinese airspace would be vetted, or the flights won't be given the go-ahead.

Cathay then announced sacking of two pilots who were linked to the protests. One was arrested and charged with rioting, while another was accused of leaking flight information of a police football team.

Cathay on Tuesday imposed a virtual ban on all its employees from making any social media comments in support of the ongoing protests.

Mainland media also had targeted the Hong Kong airline over the arrest of its employees and a social media call against Cathay also got underway. A #BoycottCathayPacific thread on Weibo attracted millions of views and mainland internet users vented their anger at the protesters.

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