(FOX NEWS) -- A Hong Kong-based airline asked 27,000 employees Wednesday to take three weeks of unpaid leave to lessen the economic impact from the coronavirus that has engulfed mainland China.
Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Augustus Tang's request in a video message comes as the airline has suspended more than 90 percent of its flights to China amid the outbreak, which has killed nearly 500 people and sickened more than 24,000.
"I am appealing to each and every one of you to help," he said. “Preserving our cash is now the key to protecting our business. All of us need to respond to this rapidly changing and challenging environment.”