Third Pilot Leaves Cathay Amid Tumult Tied to Hong Kong Protests

(Bloomberg) -- A third pilot left Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. amid Hong Kong’s anti-Beijing protests, with the departure related to comments he made about a rally at the city’s airport last month.

The pilot is no longer with Cathay, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong-based airline said Wednesday, without elaborating or disclosing whether he resigned or was fired. The pilot made comments about the protest to passengers on a flight to the city from Tokyo, Hong Kong Economic Journal said, without saying where it got the information.

The airline has come under China’s scrutiny for some of its employees’ participation in the months-long demonstrations, leading to its chief executive officer stepping down. Last week, Cathay said it fired two pilots in relation to the protests. About half of the company’s revenue comes from Hong Kong and China.

Earlier this month, China’s civil aviation authorities barred Cathay staff who took part in or supported Hong Kong’s protests from flying to the mainland and demanded Cathay provide a plan for improving flight safety and security. On Thursday, the regulator said the carrier had complied with its demands.

Most of Cathay’s about 32,800 workers are based in Hong Kong, whose airport has become a key site for the protesters. Last week, demonstrators occupying key buildings prompted the airport to shut down, forcing Cathay and other airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kyunghee Park in Singapore at kpark3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Ville Heiskanen

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