Australian carriers Virgin and Rex have joined Qantas in announcing major job cuts due to the continued lockdowns and travel restrictions.
Rex said it is standing down about 500 staff due to the state border closures.
It includes pilots, cabin crew, airport workers, call centre staff, and some head office staff.
Virgin Australia said it will cut hours or stand down frontline workers.
"We believe these arrangements balance the flexibility we need as a business right now with the need for financial certainty for our team members during what will be a challenging short-term period," Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said.
"Regrettably, the arrangements do involve reduced hours and temporary stand downs for front line staff at all bases."
"We’ve sought to tailor our approach so frontline team members can make decisions based on their individual circumstances, and that’s the right thing to do," she said.
Qantas recently announced that 2,500 staff would be stood down for at least two months.
