Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary said:

“Hardly a day now goes by without more tough news from the aviation industry. This announcement from Virgin is the latest.

“Our reps are meeting with Virgin next week and I am hopeful that we will find a way through to avoid any further pilot redundancies. Every single job lost to this crisis is a tragedy and we are doing everything we can to mitigate job losses across the board.

“Despite no help from Government, their financing is now secure. I am confident that Virgin Atlantic will get through this Coronavirus crisis and will emerge in a strong position.”