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VIRGIN AND QANTAS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CANCEL FLIGHTS AMID RISING OMICRON CASE
NUMBERS, AS BOOKINGS SUFFER AND STAFF CALL IN SICK

John Buckley Jan. 11, 2022, 11:02 AM
Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Twitter Email

Virgin and Qantas have been forced to cancel flights amid rising Omicron case
numbers, as bookings suffer and staff call in sick. Photo: Getty Images
 * Virgin has had to cancel one in four flights as a result of labour shortages
   and waning demand.
 * Qantas said it hasn’t had to make major cancellations yet, but Jetstar has
   had to manage disruptions.
 * The aviation industry is set to receive an extension to federal isolation
   exemptions that were offered to critical and emergency workers earlier this
   week.
 * Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Major airlines have had to cancel flights as COVID-19 case numbers continue to
surge around the country, driving booking numbers down and forcing airline staff
off the job sick.

Virgin Australia was hit hardest on Monday, when it announced it had cancelled
roughly one in four flights through January and February, reducing capacity by
25% as scores of workers have been forced to isolate themselves with COVID-19. 

Virgin Australia Chief Executive Jayne Hrdlicka said surging case numbers had
affected customer confidence across the country. 

“Virgin Australia is dedicated to the communities that we serve and will resume
these flights as soon as possible,” Hrdlicka said in a statement.



“Although we don’t know when this wave will pass, we do know that as we make the
shift to living with COVID-19 there will continue to be changes in all our
lives,” she said.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to any guest impacted by
the changes to our flight schedule during this time.”

The airline said it would have to slash flight frequency across some of its
busiest routes, and suspend 10 routes altogether. 

Among the routes affected are flights from Adelaide to Darwin, Cairns, and the
Sunshine Coast. 



Flights from Coffs Harbour and Hamilton Island to Melbourne have also been
suspended, along with Sydney and Melbourne to Townsville, the Gold Coast to
Launceston and Hobart, and Sydney to Fiji. 

Over at Qantas and Jetstar, staff shortages are less severe, and both airlines
have yet to make drastic cancellations or changes to major routes. 

A spokesperson for Qantas told Business Insider Australia the national carrier,
“like most industries”, has been managing close and casual contacts among
workers for some time, but hasn’t had “any major impact” to operations. 

At Jetstar, meanwhile, some flights have been cancelled as a result of the spike
in COVID-19 case numbers in early January, with “the vast majority of passengers
reaccommodated” within hours of their original departure time. 



“We appreciate the frustration any schedule changes cause and sincerely
apologise for the impact to customers’ travel plans,” he said. 

Australia’s regional carrier, Rex Airlines, said it hasn’t yet been forced to
cancel flights as a result of staff shortages. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to extend isolation exemptions for
asymptomatic close contacts in the aviation industry later on Tuesday, after
walking back isolation requirements for workers critical to supply chains and
the nation’s emergency workers. 

The changed guidelines come in response to food shortages across the country,
with federal health officials indicating isolation rules may soon change
nationwide. 

Virgin Airlines said they’d welcome the change, which the Prime Minister
suggests could materialise come Thursday, even as unions labelled the move a
“reckless” removal of “the last buffer we had left to protect workplaces”. 

“Close contacts are more likely now than ever to have the virus, because of
Omicron and [the] definition of close contacts,” said Michael Kaine, national
secretary at the Transport Workers Union. 

“The concern is they will be required to work. That means you have people [who
are] the most likely to have the virus in workplaces,” he said. 

“There is a real danger here that this might make matters worse.”

About the Author

John Buckley
Twitter
John Buckley is a Senior Reporter at Business Insider Australia.

He has bylines in The Washington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The
Saturday Paper, and VICE, among others. His reporting covers politics, finance,
the economy, technology and the ways each of them intersect with culture.

Have a tip for John? Email them here.

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