Virgin Australia Suspends 10 Routes Amid COVID-19 Surge

Virgin Australia said it will suspend 10 routes from Jan. 24 through at least the end of February citing high COVID-19 case numbers.

The airline said it will lower capacity by 25% for the Jan. 24-Feb. 28 period. The capacity cut will be achieved via a combination of reducing frequencies and temporarily cutting 10 routes.

Sydney (SYD) flights to Fiji (NAN) will be dropped, the lone international route that will be shelved. Also from SYD, domestic flights to Townsville (TSV) will be paused.

From Melbourne (MEL), Virgin will suspend routes to Coffs Harbour (CFS), Hamilton Island (HTI) and TSV. From Adelaide (ADL), the airline will pause routes to Cairns (CNS), Darwin (DRW) and Sunshine Coast (MCY). From Gold Coast (OOL), Virgin will suspend routes to Hobart (HBA) and Launceston (LST).

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline will “keep adapting as circumstances change.” She characterized the dropped routes as “temporary changes to our network to manage the current environment,” adding: “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to any [passenger] impacted by the changes to our flight schedule during this time.”