Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Cathay Pacific CEO blames virus for historic loss

Cathay Pacific CEO blames virus for historic loss

Cathay Pacific Airways has said it expects to make a loss of HK$9.9 billion (40.5 billion baht) in the first six months of 2020, the largest in its history. Airline calls third wave ‘cause for concern’.
Augustus Tang Kin-wing, the airline’s CEO, blamed the profit warning on the coronavirus pandemic, and staff were told in a memo that its restructuring review, which could impact jobs, would “balance stakeholder interests”, giving an extra clue to the factors likely to determine the company’s future size and shape.

The Hong Kong government appointed two observers to the Cathay Pacific board this week to oversee its HK$27.3 billion rescue package of the city’s flag carrier, which won shareholder approval on Monday.

“The result underlines the extent of the damage being inflicted on our operations since Covid-19 started spreading across our markets, decimating the demand for air travel as customers were unable or unwilling to fly,” Tang said, adding the third wave of cases in the city was a “cause for concern”.

Cathay swung to the biggest loss in the company’s reporting of a six-month or full-year period from a HK$1.3 billion net profit in the same time last year. Its previous biggest loss was in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis, when it lost HK$8.6 billion.

The company said 16 Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon planes would not re-enter service before the summer of 2021, causing an estimated HK$2.4 billion impairment charge, which includes “certain airline service subsidiaries assets”.

It is the first time the airline has given an estimate of how many fewer aircraft it would require to operate its optimal post-pandemic schedule, giving a better indication of company size and how many staff it would ultimately need.

Ronald Lam Siu-por, the airline’s chief customer and commercial officer, said: “The one certainty facing the global aviation industry is that the landscape will be significantly changed when international air travel recovers.”

The government led the HK$39 billion rescue of Cathay, citing risks to the wider economy, as the airline warned it was close to collapse without financial help.

Carlson Tong Ka-shing, the former securities watchdog chairman, and Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, the ex-justice minister, have been named to oversee the investment.

The airline has been losing up to HK$3 billion a month since February. Tang said Cathay would build financial forecasts and judge market trends on top of factoring stakeholder interests when it presented its restructuring proposals to the board later this year.

Cathay pocketed HK$680 million from the government’s employment subsidy scheme on Tuesday.

Lam said the airline remained “cautious and agile” to resuming flight services.

In June, the airline continued to carry less than 1% of its normal passenger volume, handling 900 customers a day on average, a far cry from the 100,000 on average. It operated less than 4% of its normal schedule.

But it is on course to operate double-digit capacity, or 10% in August, the first time in five months. In April and May the carrier operated 3% of its normal schedule.

However, for the second month in a row, the airline scaled back its planned capacity and in July it has offered 7% of a normal schedule, against 9.4 % originally, highlighting the reality of decreased demand.

After a ban on passengers transiting through Hong Kong International Airport was eased partially, the airline said it saw a “gradual pickup” but connecting passengers pay less than travellers starting or ending journeys in Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific’s cargo performance, more recently a strong part of the business, carried 43% less cargo as the air freight business weakened after initial demand for medical supplies eased off.

The airline is expected to unveil its half-year 2020 results on Aug 12.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×