Virgin Australia CANCELS all flights to Hong Kong over coronavirus fears
Virgin Australia is cancelling flights from Sydney to Hong Kong from 2 March, the airline announced today.
It made the move to save money because not enough customers were booking flights as coronavirus spreads around the world.
The airline decided to axe some international routes and cut 750 jobs after it lost $350million in 2019.
Virgin Australia is cancelling flights from Sydney to Hong Kong from 2 March, the airline announced today
Its service from Melbourne to Hong Kong will stop on 11 February, it announced in November.
Virgin Australia Group Chief Commercial Officer John MacLeod said the spread of the coronavirus and recent protests played a part in the decision to also cancel the Sydney route.
He said in a statement: ‘Hong Kong has continued to be a challenging market.
‘With a decline in demand following ongoing civil unrest, and growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in the wider region, we have made the decision to withdraw services.
‘While the decision to withdraw from the Hong Kong market has been a difficult one, it demonstrates our strong focus on driving greater financial discipline through our network.
‘Current circumstances demonstrate that Hong Kong is no longer a commercially viable route for Virgin Australia to continue operating, however international tourism remains an important part of our strategy through our other international routes and partner airlines.’