Cathay Pacific has no immediate plans to return to South Africa and has suspended flight schedules until March 31, 2021.
“Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, sluggish international travel demand as well as the dynamic travel and quarantine restrictions, Cathay Pacific Airways has temporarily suspended flights between South Africa and Hong Kong until March 31, 2021,” said a spokesperson for the airline.
“We are operating at a reduced capacity across the network, given the current challenging environment. Africa is a vital region to our business and we are continuously monitoring the market demand as we work toward progressively reintroducing passenger flights. Our teams are preparing for the recommencement of our operations and are in constant communication with our partners to keep them abreast of all relevant information and initiatives,” she added.
While Travel News understands that retrenchments have taken place locally, Cathay’s spokesperson confirmed that the Johannesburg office remained operational.
“Our teams have an option to also work from home, given the current situation,” said the spokesperson.
Travel News contacted the listed telephone number for Cathay Pacific in South Africa (0800 611 208) but was redirected to a global call centre in Europe. The call centre confirmed that the airline’s South African team were still operational and could be contacted directly on jnb_fares@cathaypacific.com.
