Cathay Pacific has terminated the employment of three pilots who were infected with COVID-19 while in Germany, claiming their involvement in a "severe violation" of regulations.
The Hong Kong airline disclosed that an internal inquiry determined that the pilots caught the virus during "international layovers."
"The individuals concerned are no longer employed by Cathay Pacific," the airline said in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the South China Morning Post, which reported the terminations first, the pilots were suspected of leaving their hotel rooms in Germany.
Germany has reported the largest number of new COVID-19 cases recorded since the outbreak began.
The Hong Kong government has also ordered the quarantine of other hotel personnel.
Currently, all Cathay Pacific employees on layovers must take pre-arranged business transportation and wear a face mask from the airport to the hotel.
Cathay Pacific maintained that the incident was "an isolated incidence."
"Throughout the pandemic, our aircrew have kept our business running and Hong Kong connected to the rest of the world," it stated.
Following the identification of the infections, over 150 additional Cathay Pacific personnel, including pilots and flight attendants, as well as several household members and community contacts, were put on isolation for three weeks at a government facility.
Although Hong Kong has had very few local coronavirus infections in recent months, authorities in the global financial capital have strengthened quarantine regulations.
Hong Kong is following Beijing's lead in maintaining tough travel restrictions, bucking a global trend toward more openness and tolerance for the coronavirus.
The city government hopes that stricter laws will persuade China, Hong Kong's primary source of economic growth, to gradually open its border.
Cathay said last week that in response to the pilot incidents, it will increase compliance checks at international ports to ensure that health and safety regulations were properly adhered to during layovers.
Cathay Pacific's whole crew has received COVID-19 vaccines, and the airline stated that a booster dose will be required as well.
The Transport and Housing Bureau of Hong Kong termed the infringement as "very regrettable" and has directed Cathay Pacific to make sure such a breach does not happen again, SCMP reported.
Hong Kong's stringent regulations, which include up to three weeks of hotel quarantine for newcomers, have resulted in a decline in travel demand.
Cathay announced this week that it operated at 10% of pre-pandemic passenger capacity in October and reported a 97.2% reduction in passenger counts from 2019.
