Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is hiring new pilots!

The rise in travel has seen the airline resume international pilot recruitment despite many of the carrier’s fleets still held in storage.

Cathay Pacific will hire more pilots with residency rights in the Hong Kong territory as part of medium- to long-term planning

The move, which comes just weeks after Cathay said it would close a pilot base in Canada and proposed to shut those in Australia and New Zealand, points to a move away from a long-term strategy of employing many expatriates.

Last year the Hong Kong airliner closed its regional arm Cathay Dragon, putting hundreds of pilots out of work.

“While we are still not seeing immediate, meaningful signs of growth, the recruitment we are conducting at this stage is about forward planning,” Cathay said in a statement.

International crew will be able to gain permanent residency after seven years in Hong Kong.

Cathay pilots with temporary work visas have received shorter than usual renewals since the closure of Cathay Dragon, said two sources who were not authorised to speak publicly about the matter.