Hong Kong鈥檚 zero-COVID strategy damaging hub鈥檚 aviation industry, says Qatar Airways chief

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Hong Kong鈥檚 strict adherence to a zero-COVID strategy is damaging the hub鈥檚 aviation industry and 鈥渒illing鈥� Cathay Pacific, a major shareholder in the city鈥檚 home carrier told local media.

Following Beijing鈥檚 lead, Hong Kong has maintained some of the world鈥檚 strictest quarantine measures and travel curbs, which has kept the city coronavirus-free but internationally isolated.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker took issue with a border-control rule that temporarily bans airlines that have brought in infected passengers.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just shut the aviation industry (down) because somebody got infected coming in (on) someone鈥檚 aeroplane,鈥� he told the South China Morning Post.

Al-Baker added that he was 鈥渁 little disappointed鈥� that Hong Kong has remained closed, and he had expected a major part of Cathay's fleet to be flying again.

Qatar Airways is Cathay鈥檚 third-largest shareholder, with a 9.6 percent stake purchased for HK$5.16 billion ($661 million) in 2017.

Under Hong Kong鈥檚 rules, if an airline brings in too many infected passengers on a particular route, it is banned from flying that route for two weeks.

Those rules have been tightened over fears of the omicron variant, which Hong Kong has recorded 14 cases of as of Friday.

Qatar Airways has been banned five times since November 2020, according to the SCMP.

Last month, British Airways announced it was suspending Hong Kong flights after crew members were required to quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test among the staff.

Earlier this month, AFP reported that Cathay has been hit by a wave of pilot resignations, with employees citing exhaustion and growing resentment.

Some Cathay flights operate on a closed-loop system, requiring pilots to spend weeks shuttling within plane-to-hotel bubbles to avoid triggering quarantine when they return.

Global delivery giant FedEx said last month that it would relocate its pilots overseas and shut down its crew base in Hong Kong, citing the city鈥檚 anti-coronavirus policies.