Cathay Sacks Two Pilots Over Demonstrations

Cathay Pacific has confirmed that it has fired two pilots who were earlier suspended over their involvement in the ongoing protests.

One pilot had been charged with rioting at a demonstration in Sheung Wan last month, while another is alleged to have misused flight information on Monday. Two groundstaff have already been fired for similar reasons.

Beijing's aviation regulator has banned any of the airline's staff who support the protests from flights going through mainland airspace.

On Wednesday Cathay issued a statement condemning the two days of airport protests, saying that 55,000 of its passengers had been stranded worldwide.

It said 272 of its departures and arrivals were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday, while on Tuesday, a total of 421 flights were cancelled across the airport.