Cathay Pacific threatens to fire flight attendants, pilots who refuse COVID-19 vaccine

Pilots and flight attendants at Cathay Pacific could lose their jobs if they refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Photo: Facebook/Cathay Pacific
Pilots and flight attendants at Cathay Pacific could lose their jobs if they refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Photo: Facebook/Cathay Pacific

Crew members at Cathay Pacific say the airline is threatening to fire staff who decline to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The airline said in response to enquiries that they are following up on a “small number of cases individually,” according to The Standard Thursday, and that it will “continue to review the future employment of those who are not vaccinated and assess whether they can continue to be employed as aircrew with Cathay Pacific.”

About 93% of Cathay’s Hong Kong-based employees have booked or are already vaccinated, the airline added.

Despite a smooth vaccination program that has been in place since February, Hong Kong’s jab rate still lags behind most of the developed world. As of official data Wednesday night, just over 51% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Read more: Medical blunder leaves woman jabbed with Sinovac instead of contraceptive injection

The disciplinary action Cathay is threatening is a follow up to the airline’s announcement in June, when it said it would mandate vaccines for Hong Kong-based pilots and flight attendants. Those who decline and do not have a valid reason for not getting the vaccine could see their employment reviewed, the airline threatened.

Airlines around the world are also pressuring their staff to get jabbed. Reuters reported that Asian airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, are seeing high vaccination take-up rates among crew.



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