Virgin Australia to cut capacity by 25% as COVID-19 cases rise

Virgin Australia said on Monday it would reduce capacity across its network by around 25% for the rest of January and for February due to reduced travel demand and staff being required to isolate as COVID-19 case numbers rise in Australia. The airline said it would cut some flight frequencies and suspend 10 routes temporarily. Australia on Monday surpassed 1 million COVID-19 cases, with more than half of them recorded in the past week, as the Omicron variant ripped through most of the country driving up hospitalisation numbers and putting a strain on supply chains. Virgin Australia CE Jayne Hrdlicka said the surge in COVID-19 cases had affected customer confidence. "Virgin Australia remains focused on growing its network and consumer reach and will resume services as soon travel demand improves," she said.<br/>