Responding to the recent publication of photographs of two people having oral sex in a cockpit, John Slosar, Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways, has said: “I can confirm that two members of our crew shown in compromising situations in photographs published recently in Chinese-language daily newspapers are no longer employees of the company. I can also report that we have found no evidence to suggest that the incidents happened on any of our flights while airborne.
“We will now produce a report of our findings and pass it to our regulator, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department. We will continue to co-operate with the CAD as required.
“I know that many people were disturbed by the damage this incident caused to the reputation of our cockpit and cabin crews, all of them serious safety and service professionals, and to the airline itself. I want to assure the public and all of our staff that we conducted a thorough investigation into the circumstances in which the photographs were taken and published.
“I can provide further assurance that our investigation was fair, conducted without fear or favour and with no special consideration or regard for rank or position in the company.
“As Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific, let me be crystal clear about one thing: I find any behaviour that recklessly soils the reputation of our company or our team members as totally unacceptable. That is why we moved as swiftly as we could to ascertain the facts of the case, and to take decisive action.
“I appreciate that some people wish to know more details of our findings. However, the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance strictly limits us from discussing matters between the company and individual employees. For this reason, we cannot release information about the specific actions that have been taken by management or individual members of staff, or comment on rumours relating to individuals. This is the law, and we must and will respect it.
“But I am satisfied that the actions we have taken are the right ones and that the lessons learned will make all of us in the company even more conscious of our responsibilities under our own Code of Conduct and the privacy provisions of Hong Kong law.
“Finally, I would like to thank the Cathay Pacific team for their understanding and concern as we carried out our inquiries, and also to those who conducted the investigation with diligence, determination and commitment to a fair process.”
Cathay Pacific has also postponed until 1st October the launch of an international advertising campaign that was due to begin on 1st September and which describes the airline as “the team who go the extra mile to make you feel special”.
