Virgin Atlantic announces plans to cut another 1,150 jobs

The latest blow to the airline’s staff comes after the company received high court clearance for its £1.2 billion restructuring plan earlier this week. Virgin Atlantic’s refinancing has now been completed as the carrier focuses on becoming "a sustainably profitable airline".

The new job losses will come four months after Virgin Atlantic announced it would cut 3,150 roles at the airline as part of a major restructure necessitated by the Covid-19 crisis. The airline has also closed its base at Gatwick as part of cost-cutting measures.

The airline said it was working closely with unions Unite and Balpa with a company-wide consultation period of 45 days starting on Friday (4 September). The 1,150 job losses will be "across all functions" at the airline.

Virgin said it would also introduce and finance its own furlough scheme for an additional 600 crew when the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is due to finish at the end of October.

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive, said: “After the sacrifices so many of our people have made, further reducing the number of people we employ is heart-breaking but essential for survival.

“I truly hope that as demand returns, we will see many members of our team returning to us.

“Now we must focus our efforts on securing our long-term future, by ensuring that Virgin Atlantic not only survives but thrives as passenger demand returns.

“It’s clear that the introduction of passenger testing is the only way to enable the removal of travel restrictions and open up flying to key markets, while protecting public health.”