Cathay Pacific and sister carrier Cathay Dragon, reportedly under pressure from Beijing, have publicly supported the Hong Kong government’s handling of the escalating protest movement. On Wednesday, the company reiterated its “firm support” for the city’s embattled government.SCMP
2 pilots sacked presumably to deter other pilots from in any way supporting the protesters.
Cathay may not think so but a fundamental principle of the rule of law in HK is that a person is innocent of any criminal offence until convicted after a proper judicial trial with a right to legal representation and proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt
Suspicion is not enough nor can guilt be inferred by association.
I have no idea what the second officer on the Manchester flight actually did to warrant dismissal but that firing and the firing of the other pilot tells us ( again) that Cathay will not stand by or support it employees when pressured by the HK or Chinese authorities or by its stakeholders.
Lets just go the whole way, remove the Cathay logo and rebrand Cathay & Cathay Dragon as China’s minor second tier airline