Virgin Australia joins Qantas, suspends international flights and scales back domestic network
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Virgin Australia, a Delta Air Lines partner that flies down under from Los Angeles, announced it would suspend all international flights through at least June 14.
The carrier’s draw-down came shortly after Qantas, Australia’s largest carrier, made a similar move.
In a statement, Virgin Australia said the cuts are “in response to expanded government travel restrictions and increased impacts from COVID-19 on travel demand.”
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It added that affected customers would be contacted about new booking options by email, and will be prioritized in order of departure date.
Virgin Australia also has a list of flights since March 5 that have had passengers onboard who later tested positive for coronavirus.
The airline is also significantly reducing its intra-Australia network. A full breakdown of those changes is available on the airline’s website.
Read more: A number of airlines have suspended or seriously curtailed service in response to coronavirus.
With similar cuts at Qantas and at many other international carriers that fly Australia, the country is now largely isolated during the outbreak.
Around the world, airlines have been scaling back services in the face of an unprecedented drop in demand and government-imposed travel restrictions.
Featured photo by ERIC SALARD/Flickr.
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