The crew of Cathay Pacific spent 73,000 nights — equivalent to 200 years — in quarantine last year amid Hong Kong's strict Covid rules

The crew of Cathay Pacific Airways spent 73,000 nights in a single year.

In a video message to staff earlier this month, the company chairman revealed a staggering figure.

"What you have been through over the past two years is simply unparalleled," he said. Our crew spent over 62,000 nights in hotels. Over 1,000 of you have spent time inPenny's Bay.

ThePenny's Bay Quarantine Center in Hong Kong is known for its spartan living conditions.
The families of airline crew were often isolated, according to the message.

Travelers entering Hong Kong are required to stay out of the city for up to three weeks depending on where they're traveling from and their vaccine status. Some travelers have to spend part of their time in a government facility before moving on to a designated hotel.

In order to encourage pilots to sign up for closed-loop routes that require them to fly into Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific has started offering thousands of dollars in cash bonuses. The crews have to spend weeks in hotels before they can return to the city.

Thousands of crew members have volunteered for the "closed-loop" roster patterns, according to the address.

In an email to Insider, Cathay Pacific said that it has been affected by the global Pandemic.

The airlines acknowledged that the rules and the length of time they have been in force are placing a burden on the aircrew.

Longterm gantries have been taxing on staff who need to fly for their jobs. According to a Financial Times report, dozens of pilots quit in December.