Air Transport

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has lost a lawsuit brought about by 18 former pilots for wrongful dismissal and defamation, and has been ordered by the courts to pay HK$59 million ($7.6 million) damages.

The Hong Kong courts ruled on 11 November that the carrier dismissed the pilots mainly due to their alleged participation in union activities, while the carrier accused them of gross misconduct.

"We are disappointed with some aspects of the judgement. We are now carefully studying the 70-page High Court judgement with our legal counsel before deciding on any further steps we may take," says Cathay.

According to Hong Kong newspapers, the case came after a Cathay sacked the 18 pilots and 32 others in 2001. The airline subsequently issued a statement accusing them "of being unprofessional, of being bad employees, and of not caring for Cathay's best interests or those of Hong Kong". The other 32 pilots had reached an out-of-court settlement with Cathay.