Beijing is turning up the heat on Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific as calls to boycott the airline gain momentum in mainland China.
China’s aviation regulator demanded Cathay Pacific suspend flight crew who have taken part in protests from working on flights that enter Chinese airspace.
The airline caved in to the demands and has suspended a pilot who participated in protests.
The pilot was arrested last week during protests outside a police station.
Two airport workers were also sacked for allegedly leaking travel information of members of the Hong Kong police force.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China claims workers involved in protests are a threat to aviation safety in China.
It applies for all flights that pass through mainland China airspace even those heading for other destinations.
It ordered Cathay to supply identification data for all crew scheduled to work on flights through China airspace.
The airline has now seemingly agreed to China’s demands after initially saying it would not discipline staff members involved in peaceful protests.
Anti-government street protests have been taking palace for more than two months and have got increasingly more tense in the past week.
A three-day sit-in protest at Hong Kong Airport ended peacefully on Sunday but violent clashes continued elsewhere across downtown Hong Kong.
