Cathay says three cadet pilots removed from US training program

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. has removed three cadet pilots from one of its training programs in the US following their non-compliance with incident reporting requirements.

Phoenix, Arizona-based AeroGuard Flight Training Center earlier this month suspended all solo flights for Cathay cadets after a number of training incidents that damaged planes and went unreported by the trainee aircrew.

In a memo seen by Bloomberg News, the incidents were described as a wingtip collision with a fixed object, a bounced landing leading to a substantial prop strike on a runway and a complete runway excursion. 

“While each situation was unique, in each case the concern was the same — required consultation did not occur” and in two of the three instances, “the students failed to properly report the damage,” the memo said.

Cathay in its statement Wednesday said its decision to remove the three cadet pilots “follows the completion of a comprehensive investigation conducted by the training school in coordination with Cathay Pacific and the relevant authorities.”

“A just and open reporting culture is at the center of our values,” Cathay’s director of flight operations, Chris Kempis, said. “Being aligned with this culture is fundamental to being a Cathay Pacific pilot.”

Cathay said that solo operations involving the airline’s sponsored pilots at AeroGuard have now resumed.

The carrier noted that all qualifying cadet pilots, after graduation from their initial 60-week course, are required to undergo further training in order to join the airline and be endorsed as second officers on one of Cathay’s aircraft types.

Hong Kong-based Cathay has been trying to restock its depleted pilot ranks post Covid. Pilot numbers fell sharply during the pandemic as Hong Kong shut its borders and introduced some of the world’s harshest isolation measures, forcing many people out of the city.

Steep pay cuts also prompted many pilots to resign and Cathay’s business, which is a wholly international affair given Hong Kong has no domestic flights, still isn’t back to pre-Covid levels.

On Wednesday, Cathay said its rebuild and training schedule remain on track.