The airline recently graduated its first batch of 19 cadet pilots after a three-year pause caused by the pandemic.

These pilots will join Cathay as second officers next month.

All 19 graduates were admitted to the program before the pandemic, but their training was halted.

This year, the cohort headed to Adelaide, Australia for hands-on flight training.

Cathay has two training locations in Arizona and Adelaide, and cadets are assigned to either depending on availability.

To become a Cathay cadet pilot, applicants must be secondary school graduates aged 18 or above with good English skills, including math or science skills, and who are physically fit.

They must also have the right to live and work in Hong Kong or the mainland.

However, applicants with an aviation degree will be given priority.

Cathay's head of corporate affairs, Carolyn Leung Yuet-fong, said that graduating pilots must stay in the company for the first six years after graduating.

Desmond Tsui, the batch's best cadet for flying, said that the greatest difference between his old and new job is its volatility.