香港（CNN
Business）在大流行之前，香港是一个航空枢纽，吸引了来自世界各地的飞行员。
两年过去了，旗舰航空公司国泰航空的飞行员因在世界上最严格的隔离制度之一下工作而精疲力竭和沮丧，有些人已经到了崩溃的边缘。
两名国泰飞行员在接受 CNN Business 采访时表示，这家总部位于香港的航空公司一度被称为主要雇主，但现在正努力应对士气低落、辞职人数激增以及员工在采取艰苦的自我隔离措施时越来越沮丧的问题。因害怕报复而不愿透露姓名。
“士气全没了。全没了，”在该航空公司工作了几年的第一位国泰飞行员说。 “大家都生气了。”
与大多数航空公司一样，国泰航空 (CPCAY) 去年因全球旅行崩溃而受到 Covid-19 大流行的沉重打击。该航空公司被迫大幅削减其航班时刻表，一度看到乘客水平下降了 99%。
但它作为一家总部位于香港的企业所面临的挑战可能是业内最严峻的。
这座城市与中国大陆一样，是亚洲最后几个仍然采用“零 Covid”战略的地方之一。虽然坚持消灭任何病毒痕迹意味着这座城市基本上没有新冠病毒，但该政策也意味着香港是地球上隔离时间最长的地区之一。最近出现的新型冠状病毒变种 Omicron 有可能进一步颠覆航空业，并可能导致更严格的管制。
现有规则重新引发了关于其应对大流行的方法是否最终会伤害这座城市的争论——尤其是在其他地方开始采用“与 Covid 共存”的剧本时。
国泰航空的第一位飞行员说，他们最近与四名在同一天辞职的同事进行了交谈，与几年前相比，辞职人数明显增加。他们说“很多”同事正在寻求帮助来解决心理健康问题。
国泰航空在给 CNN Business 的一份声明中表示，“我们完全承认这些规则及其生效时间给我们的机组人员带来了负担，在这个困难时期，他们在行为和专业方面都堪称楷模。 .”
“截至10月底，我们的辞职率和提前退休率一直与历史数据持平，”它说。
可以肯定的是，航空业的其他人也感受到了中国城市的痛苦。
去年 11 月，联邦快递 (FDX) 表示将完全关闭其在香港的机组人员基地，并将飞行员搬离香港。该公司在一份声明中引用了“香港的大流行要求”。上周，英国航空公司 (BA) 在其一名机组人员抵达香港时检测出 Covid-19 呈阳性后，暂时暂停了飞往香港的航班。
本周，瑞士国际航空公司也暂停了飞往香港的航班，称这是“为了应对当地收紧对抵达香港的机组人员的检疫规定”。该航空公司表示，将密切关注情况，“以期恢复这些服务”。
Hong Kong has kept out Covid, but exhausted and depressed pilots are paying the price
Hong Kong (CNN Business)Before the pandemic, Hong Kong was an aviation hub attracting pilots from around the world.
Two years on, pilots at flagship airline Cathay Pacific are so exhausted and depressed from working under one of the world's strictest quarantine regimes that some are reaching a breaking point.
Once known as a premier employer, the Hong Kong-based airline is now grappling with plummeting morale, a spike in resignations and mounting frustration as staff undergo arduous self-isolation measures, according to two Cathay pilots, who spoke with CNN Business on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"The morale is all gone. All gone," said the first Cathay pilot, who has worked at the airline for several years. "Everybody's angry."
Like most airlines, Cathay Pacific (CPCAY) was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic as travel collapsed around the world last year. The carrier was forced to dramatically slash its flight schedule, at one point seeing passenger levels tank 99%.
But the challenges it faces as a Hong Kong-based business may be the toughest in the industry.
The city, along with mainland China, is one of the last places in Asia still adopting a "zero Covid" strategy. While the insistence on stamping out any trace of the virus means the city is largely Covid-free, the policy also means Hong Kong is home to one of the longest quarantines on Earth. And the recent emergence of Omicron, the new coronavirus variant, threatens to further upend aviation and could lead to stricter controls.
The existing rules have reignited debate on whether its approach to the pandemic is ultimately hurting the city — particularly as other places begin to adopt a "living with Covid" playbook.
The first Cathay pilot said they recently spoke with four colleagues who quit on the same day, and that resignations were noticeably up compared to years prior. They said "a lot" of colleagues were seeking help to deal with mental health issues.
In a statement to CNN Business, Cathay said that "we fully acknowledge that these rules and the length of time they have been in force are placing a burden on our aircrew, all of whom have been exemplary in their conduct and professionalism throughout this difficult period."
"Up to the end of October our resignation and early retirement rate has been on par with historical data," it said.
To be sure, others in the aviation industry are feeling the pain in the Chinese city.
In November, FedEx (FDX) said it would shut down its crew base in Hong Kong entirely and relocate pilots away from the city. In a statement, the company cited "pandemic requirements in Hong Kong." And last week, British Airways (BA) temporarily suspended flights to Hong Kong after one of its crew members tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival to the city.
This week, Swiss International Airlines has also suspended flights to Hong Kong, saying it is "in response to a tightening of the local quarantine provisions for crew members arriving in Hong Kong." The carrier says it will closely monitor the situation "with a view to these services' resumption."
