Airline talks about crisis

‘‘THE impacts of Covid19 have decimated our industry, and sadly more than 3000 team members, including many based in New Zealand have had to depart our business through no fault of their own. It’s our goal that when border restrictions ease and demand for air travel returns to prepandemic levels, we’re able to grow again, and welcome as many of our former team members as possible back to the airline.’’ — Comment from Virgin Australia Group spokesman ‘‘Hi everyone,

‘‘I am writing to update you on the future of our New Zealand bases, and what this means for you.

‘‘As you know, we’ve been consulting with flight and cabin crew and their respective union representatives from NZALPA and E tu, and since consultation closed, we have considered all options and feedback on the proposal. Regrettably, we have made the difficult decision to close our New Zealand bases. This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make through this crisis, and one that weighs heavily on me knowing the personal impact it will have on our New Zealand team and their families.’’ — Part of an email sent to New Zealand cabin crew on April 3 from Virgin Australia managing director and chief executive officer Paul Scurrah