Cathay says tighter crew curbs may hit supplies into Hong Kong

Bloomberg

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd expressed concern about a possible move by Hong Kong to rein in quarantine exemptions for aircrew operating cargo flights, saying it could reduce the number of available employees and disrupt the supply of goods moving in and out of the financial hub.
The airline, Asia’s biggest cargo carrier, has been operating a full freighter schedule and a significant number of cargo services on passenger aircraft to ensure supply chains remain intact, it said in a statement. That’s in contrast to passenger operations, which remain subdued due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
“Tightening the travel restrictions for aircrew operating cargo services would significantly impede our ability to continue to mount these important flights,” Cathay said. “This would seriously disrupt the supply chain and the flow of goods into and out of Hong Kong.”
Hong Kong may restrict movement of local aircrew who are
exempted from quarantine for several weeks after two Cathay pilots on cargo flights tested positive for Covid-19, the South China Morning Post reported earlier, without citing the source of the information. The latest infection could challenge the city’s zero-tolerance approach to the virus and its efforts to reopen its border with mainland China, which is also pursuing an elimination strategy.
As one of the world’s top cargo airlines, Cathay moves an array of goods globally, from mobile devices to garments and fresh fruit and vegetables. It had 34 freighters in its fleet at the end of June. The airline has been operating on a so-called closed loop that calls for crew members to isolate at a hotel whenever they return to Hong Kong during their 21-day duty cycle. Once the three-week shift is over, they must self-isolate for 14 days and then they have 14 days off.