Wednesday, 21st October 2020 will be seared in the minds of all those who worked for Cathay Dragon, as this was the day it ceased to exist. I knew it as Dragonair and I feel the pain for my ex-colleges. There are questions that need answering, such as what happens to the AOC?
Dragonair began flying in 1985 with a single 737 and finished off with a fleet of Airbus 320 and 330’s with nearly 600 pilots and a large staff of support people. As of Wednesday, all but 8 pilots have been served their notices. The 8 retained pilots will train crews on the Airbus A321neos that Dragon had on order .
I flew for Dragonair from 2001 to 2008 on the Boeing 747-200/300 freighters and in this time Dragon survived SAARS and became so profitable that Cathay used their huge resources to acquire the jewel of Hong Kong. In a little over 12 years they have crushed the jewel in order to survive. As sad the 21st October 2020, will not be forgotten.
Dam – Covid-19. Read this article that discusses Drago’s time-line and reasons for its beheading. Click Here.
Pictures courtesy of Kenneth Williams – they depict the press outside Cathay City:
