Cathay staff spent equivalent of 200 years in quarantine in 2021

Crew and staff of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. spent more than 73,000 nights in quarantine hotels and the city’s Penny’s Bay Covid-19 isolation facility in 2021, the airline said Wednesday. 

That adds up to the equivalent of 200 years. 

Aircrew spent more than 62,000 nights in quarantine hotels, while another 1,000 staff - from pilots to head office teams - were put into Penny’s Bay for over 11,000 nights. 

Cathay crew took more than 230,000 Covid-19 tests in 2021, with only 16 positive cases, according to the airline. 

The eye-catching numbers featured in the Hong Kong-based carrier’s annual results out Wednesday. Cathay said its net loss narrowed to HK$5.5 billion ($703 million) in 2021 from a record 21.6 billion the previous year, partly thanks to cost-cutting, including furloughs, early retirement programs, lower salaries and unpaid leave for staff. Non-fuel costs fell about 24% to HK$37.7 billion. 

The airline has become a symbol of the toll Hong Kong’s isolationist approach to the virus is exacting on the city, with borders effectively shut for the duration of the pandemic and lengthy quarantines the norm. Its staff have been blamed by authorities for bringing Covid into Hong Kong, and subject to frequently shifting protocols that made it difficult to continue running flights.

Aircrew face varying levels of quarantine to meet Hong Kong’s entry requirements, and are also subject to restrictions when in overseas ports.