Cathay Pacific slashes hours needed to become captain amid labor shortage

The airline is now cutting the time needed to become a captain, letting first officers apply for captain training after 3,000 flying hours, down from 4,000 hours. Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department approved the decision in November, and the airline introduced it into its operations manual last week, according to the South China Morning Post.

The airline is characterizing the change as offering an additional option to first officers who primarily travel short-haul routes. Cathay Pacific’s general manager for flying Tim Burns said in a statement that the option will allow first officers  to be considered for captain training “within a reasonable time.” Pilots choosing the 3,000 flying hours option will also need to fly 500 sectors, or flying a plane between point A and B. 

“A short-haul pilot can accrue around 75 take-off and landing experiences with only 225 flying hours, while a pilot operating long haul routes generally requires nearly 900 flying hours to achieve the same number of take-off and landing experiences,” he explained.

The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, which represents Cathay pilots, is casting doubt on the new requirements, and instead suggests that the airline rehire already-trained pilots, according to the South China Morning Post. The HKAOA did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Labor struggles

The COVID pandemic—or, specifically, the Chinese city of Hong Kong’s response to it—was a crisis for Cathay Pacific. Hong Kong’s government imposed strict travel restrictions, including lengthy quarantine stays…