Hong Kong airline worker shortage hits city’s push to reopenHong Kong’s goal to reclaim its spot as Asia’s premier financial hub is being tested by a scarcity of workers in the air industry that’s vital for re-establishing the city’s international links. Manpower constraints are making it tough for local start-up Greater Bay Airlines to add flights from Hong Kong, Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui told Bloomberg News this month. “We are now lacking hands, we need to fill vacancies,” said Yolanda Yu, vice-chair of the Board of Airline Representatives of Hong Kong. Like elsewhere during the pandemic, Hong Kong air industry workers were let go as demand for flights plunged. Yet Hong Kong was far slower than other international travel hubs in lifting its Covid restrictions, which were among the world’s most extreme.
