The government has told Cathay it will extend the work visas of its expat pilots, but not its foreign cabin crew, according to an internal memo. Photo: Winson WongHong Kong immigration officials will renew the visas of all of
Cathay Pacific’s expatriate pilots, but its large contingent of foreign cabin crew will be denied extensions permitting them to remain based in the city, according to memos seen by the
Post.
The decision leaves the airline’s foreign cabin crew at risk of losing their jobs, with the airline saying it would offer the same voluntary redundancy package to affected staff that it offered to others in late April.
In its memo on Thursday, Cathay expressed regret that some employees would have to leave the company as a result of the decision, but said it would lodge appeals on behalf of certain cabin crew, particularly those with Japanese and Korean language skills.
Since late last year, the aviation industry has encountered resistance from the Immigration Department, which has only been willing to offer short-term visa renewals for foreign staff of up to three months.
Authorities have attributed the hardline stance to rising unemployment among skilled aviation workers in the city, with the shutdown of regional airline Cathay Dragon last year seen by many as a significant factor.
The
Post understands freighter pilots – who have played a key operational role at the airline amid the Covid-19 crisis – would get three-year visa extensions, while passenger crew would only get six to 12-month extensions.