Cathay Resumes Cadet Programme To Boost Manpower

Cathay Pacific said on Monday that it will resume its cadet pilot training programme after a two-year suspension, as it is seeking to recruit more than 800 local cockpit crew by 2025.

The flagship carrier’s staff had shrunk drastically after it axed a record 5,900 employees in October 2020 and more crew members resigned in light of the city’s strict quarantine measures.

In a statement, the airline said it will work with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to bring back the recruitment drive that had been put on hold since March 2020 due to Covid-19.

“Our people are an essential part of our success as an airline, and we have a very strong pipeline of talent that will enable us to continue to provide the high levels of service and operational excellence for which the Cathay Pacific team is renowned,” said the airline’s chief operations and service delivery officer, Greg Hughes.

“As Hong Kong’s home airline, we are committed to continuing to invest in its long-term future as a global aviation hub,” he added.

The carrier said it is expected to increase its cadet intake to 190 this year, up from 180 in pre-pandemic 2019, adding that it hopes to induct between 240 and 300 candidates from 2023 to 2025.

As part of the programme, trainees will start with ground theory lectures in Hong Kong, before being sent to either Australia or the United States for flight training.

The course is expected to last over a year, with the first batch of 24 cadets set to commence flight training in October.

The firm said it is also planning to recruit some 150 fully trained and qualified cadets who were unable to join the company in 2020 due to the pandemic.