Text/Liu Wenwen, Wang Enbo
As the global economy recovers, the aviation industry is gradually coming out of the trough. Entering the second year of reconstruction, how has Cathay Pacific's passenger and cargo capacity recovered? What new actions has Cathay Pacific taken after the "blanket turmoil"? As Hong Kong's largest airline, how does Cathay Pacific view the Greater Bay Area market and the mainland market? Recently, China News Service interviewed Lin Shaobo, chief executive officer of Cathay Pacific Group, on these issues.
Drafting: Hou Yutong
The reconstruction is progressing well
Last year was the first year of Cathay Pacific's reconstruction, and it achieved a great "report card": a net profit of 9.789 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 9.06 billion yuan), the best profit since 2010.
This year marks Cathay Pacific is in its second year of rebuilding. Talking about the progress of the reconstruction, Lin Shaobo said that at present, passenger flights, including Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express, have been rebuilt to 80% of the pre-epidemic level, and cargo has also been rebuilt to 85% of the pre-epidemic capacity.
"This progress is 'very positive' and we plan to fully rebuild our passenger aircraft and all cargo capacity to 100% by the first quarter of next year. ”
Source: Cathay Pacific official website
Due to multiple factors, global airlines are currently facing the challenge of supply chain shortages. How do you see this challenge impacting Cathay Pacific's rebuilding process?
In Lin Shaobo's view, this is a short- to medium-term problem. Over time, it is expected that supply chain issues will be resolved around next year. With the recovery of the global economy and the recovery of consumer confidence, the aviation industry is gradually coming out of the trough and ushering in new development opportunities.
He judged that in the long run, aviation demand will continue to rise, and the Asia-Pacific market, especially China's aviation market, will show huge growth potential. "2025 will be a new beginning, we will usher in a broader market space and better development prospects. ”
Optimistic about the potential of the mainland
Talking about the importance of the mainland market and the Greater Bay Area market, Lin Shaobo analyzed that although Cathay Pacific is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong's population is relatively limited, only about 7 million. In contrast, the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area not only have a large population base of more than 80 million, but also have a young population structure, full of infinite vitality and potential, and they will have more opportunities to explore all corners of the world in the future.
Currently, Cathay Pacific serves 80 destinations around the world, with flights from Hong Kong to the mainland forming an important part of the business. There are more than 200 pairs of flights between Hong Kong and the Mainland every week, covering 18 destinations. Mr Lam hopes to add more destinations to the mainland in the future to meet the growing market demand.
While optimistic about the mainland market, we are also optimistic about mainland talents. "We place great emphasis on balancing the proportion of staff from Hong Kong, Mainland China and international backgrounds. He said that as a Hong Kong-based airline, Cathay Pacific has a large number of excellent local staff, and at the same time, it is actively recruiting more staff with mainland backgrounds.
Source: Cathay Pacific official website
Last year, the Cathay Pacific Group recruited flight attendants for the first time in the Mainland, and received a large number of applications for high-quality talents, with about 300 Mainland flight attendants currently serving Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express. He said the goal this year is to bring that number to around 500. By next year, the number of flight attendants in the mainland is expected to reach 1,500, accounting for about 15% of the total number of flight attendants. "This will make the mainland the largest source of cabin crew outside Hong Kong. ”
In addition, Cathay Pacific has also started to recruit trainee pilots in the mainland, and there are currently 40 trainee pilots from the mainland who are currently in training, and it is expected that they will officially become Cathay Pacific pilots by the end of this year or early next year.
Strive to be world-class
Cathay Pacific has always had a reputation for service levels, which is one of the key reasons why it stands out in the highly competitive aviation market. Lin Shaobo revealed that Cathay Pacific will continue to improve its service quality this year.
According to him, around the third quarter of this year, Cathay Pacific will launch a new business class product on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft - Erya Business Class, as well as a new premium economy class, which is a world-class product.
In terms of in-flight dining, in addition to Western food, a number of Chinese dishes with Hong Kong-style flavors have been launched this year, which are very popular among mainland passengers. This month, Cathay Pacific introduced high-quality red wines from Shandong and Ningxia in its first and business class cabins. In terms of in-flight entertainment, in addition to providing a wide range of Western films, many Hong Kong-made and mainland films have been added, such as "30,000 Miles of Chang'an".
Lin Shaobo said that Cathay Pacific has always been among the top 10 best airlines in the world, ranking among the top in the industry in terms of international capacity, network layout, and brand service evaluation. "Our goal is to be the world's best premium airline and strive to be a world-class aviation service provider. ”
Source: The country is a through train
Editor: Zhuge Ruixin
Editor-in-charge: Wei Xi