Cathay Pacific sacks 2 pilots amid labor dispute.

HONG KONG, July 5 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH SACKING, MORE FLIGHT DELAYS)

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways said Thursday night it has fired two pilots, a move that came three days after its cockpit crew launched a work-to-rule action in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

No officials from the pilots' union were immediately available for comment, but the sacking is set to intensify the row between management and the union, which has caused more than 100 flight delays since Tuesday when the pilots' campaign began.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement that one of the sacked pilots, a union member, has worked at the airline for eight years but the company has ''lost confidence'' in him.

The pilot, with a previous warning, was said to have related to Tuesday's five-hour delay of a flight that was scheduled from Los Angeles to Hong Kong but had to detour to Vancouver and Osaka to pick up replacement pilots.

The airline claimed the other dismissed pilot, not a union member, had seriously violated flying regulations. The pilot has been with the company for five years.

''The officer had not allowed himself sufficient rest before reporting for duty,'' a Cathay Pacific statement said.

Both pilots have been given three months salary in lieu of notice, the company said.

Earlier Thursday, Cathay Pacific said it has chartered 10 planes and crews from five Chinese carriers on a temporary basis to deal with flight disruptions caused by the union's campaign and a strong tropical cyclone approaching Hong Kong.

''The rapid approach of Typhoon Utor and the ongoing union dispute mean additional capacity will be of value to us,'' the airline's corporate development director, Tony Tyler, said.

The airline anticipated its operations would be further affected by the typhoon and by the ''apparent unwillingness'' of the pilots' union to help the carrier recover from any weather-related disruption.

The company has chartered 10 aircraft and their crews from Air China, China Northwest Airlines, China Northern Airlines, China Southwest Airlines and China Eastern Airlines for stand-by use.

It added it has continued to operate a full schedule over the past two days despite the pilots' action, which began Tuesday following last week's collapse of talks with management over better pay and working conditions.

Due to the approach of the typhoon, Cathay Pacific also said it will cancel or defer up to 20 flights scheduled to arrive at Hong Kong on Thursday evening.

The territory hoisted storm signal No. 8 at 7:30 p.m. local time Thursday as Typhoon Utor edged closer to the territory.

The airline said some of its long-haul flights already airborne and scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong after 8 p.m. may need to be diverted to alternate airports in the region.

Departing flights from Hong Kong after 8:30 p.m. may also experience significant delays, the carrier warned.

''We have taken the decision to cancel flights in advance due to the likelihood of very high winds and heavy rainbands associated with Typhoon Utor. These are likely to disrupt airline operations in the region,'' the airline's general manager operations, Jeff Turner, said.

Responding to the airline's accusation of unwillingness to help, the union, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, said the pilots will carry out their duties as expected.

''Our maximum safety strategy will ensure that all safety procedures are strictly compiled with,'' the union spokesman, John Findlay, told a government radio news program.

The union's work-to-rule action entails its members strictly adhering to Cathay Pacific's operating manual and not reporting to work earlier than scheduled for pre-flight preparations.

As a condition for continuing the negotiations on pay and working conditions, the union has demanded management provide it with information regarding pilots' working hours, which it says is needed to negotiate properly.

The airline, meanwhile, has insisted the pilots cease their industrial action as a condition for further talks.