BRISBANE – Virgin Australia has become the first international airline to cut all its services between Australia and Hong Kong amid the coronavirus outbreak, citing that the route was no longer commercially viable.
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,– Virgin Australia Group chief commercial officer John MacLeod
The airline said the route performance had been below expectations following the anti-government protests that began in June 2019 and is expected to be further impacted by the growing uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis.
The company will end its Melbourne-Hong Kong service – previously suspended in November – on February 11, and the Sydney-Hong Kong route on March 2.
“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,” Virgin Australia Group chief commercial officer John MacLeod said.
“Current circumstances demonstrate that Hong Kong is no longer a commercially viable route for Virgin Australia to continue operating.”
The airline will make alternative arrangements for customers already booked on affected flights.