Virgin Australia to cut capacity by 25 pct as Covid-19 cases rise

The airline, which competes against Qantas Airways Ltd, 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 Chief Executive 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 in a statement.

The airline said in November it would add seven more Boeing Co 737 NG planes to its fleet, nearly restoring it to pre-pandemic levels, to help meet a goal of obtaining a one-third share of Australia’s domestic travel market.