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Virgin Australia joins Qantas, suspends international flights and scales back domestic network

Zach Wichter
Zach Wichter
Aviation Industry Reporter
Zach has been interested in things that go since he was a kid. He previously worked at The New York Times and spent much of his time there covering the aviation industry, including contributing to the paper’s reporting on the 737 Max crisis at Boeing. He grew up in Bethpage, on Long Island, and graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 where he majored in journalism and gender and sexuality studies.
March 19, 2020
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2 min read
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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.

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Virgin Australia flights with confirmed coronavirus cases. (Image courtesy of Virgin Australia.)

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 image by ERIC SALARD / FLickr