Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific confirms 600 job cuts, including 190 management staff

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By CGTN's Dan Mao

Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said on Monday it would fire nearly 600 staff members in the first step in a reorganization plan as the airline looks to return to profitability.

The company said in a statement that some 190 management jobs will be cut while a further 400 non-management staff members will lose their jobs, with most to be notified over the next month.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Rupert Hogg /VCG Photo

Cathay Pacific said the cuts, representing 25 percent of management staff and 18 percent of non-managerial positions at its Hong Kong head office, were the first step in a three-year program announced this year.

"We have had to make tough but necessary decisions for the future of our business and our customers," Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Rupert Hogg said in a statement.

Cathy Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, confirms 600 job cuts on Monday, May 22, 2017. /VCG Photo

In March, Cathay Pacific said in an internal memo that it plans to cut the cost of middle and senior management roles at its Hong Kong head office by 30 percent. The memo came a day after the airline reported its first annual loss since 2008.

The airline said no frontline employees, cabin crew, or pilots would be affected by the job cuts announced on Monday because Cathay Pacific was still growing, but staff members in those positions would be asked to deliver productivity improvements.

The company employed around 20,000 people in Hong Kong and had around 33,700 employees globally as of March.