Cathay Pacific confirms 600 redundancies at head office

Around 600 Cathay Pacific employees will be made redundant at the airline’s head office. The cuts affect 190 management and 400 non-managerial roles, representing 25% of management and 18% of non-managerial positions respectively.

The airline officially announced the job cuts today [22 May] after weeks of anticipation. In March this year, it announced cuts to middle and senior management in an attempt to save 30% on management cost.

The majority of the affected employees will be informed by the end of today. Employees who lose their jobs will receive a severance package including up to 12 months’ salary, extended medical benefits such as counselling and support, and additional and extended travel benefits. Cathay Pacific will also offer all outgoing employees job search support, job application support and interview training.

No frontline employees, pilots, or cabin crew are affected by the cuts, but “they will also be asked to deliver greater efficiencies and productivity improvements,” the company press release states.

The restructuring is part of the airline’s 3-year transformation programme aimed at making Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon more effective by improving the speed and quality of decision-making and putting a greater focus on its customers.

Commenting on the news, Rupert Hogg, chief executive officer at Cathay Pacific, said: "We greatly appreciate and respect our people’s dedication, hard work and achievements. However, we have had to make tough but necessary decisions for the future of our business and our customers."

He added: "Our immediate priority is to support our colleagues affected by today’s announcement, and I’d like to thank them for all they’ve done for Cathay Pacific."

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