Comments from a Virgin Australia spokesperson:

Virgin Australia is consulting with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) over a Fair Work Commission dispute in relation to approximately 170 of its airport-based team members.

The majority of these team members are currently working close to their normal full-time hours and reports that Virgin Australia has fully stood them down in the wake of Job Keeper ending are categorically false – none are fully stood down.

We are working hard to ramp up our flying to enable more hours and roster flexibility across our operational workforce and are continuing to consult and discuss our rostering practices with team members and union representatives as border restrictions change.

Prior to the latest round of border changes, it had been our intention to have all airport-based team members return to work in their pre-COVID capacity.

Additional information:

• Reports that Virgin Australia has fully stood down its ground crew in the wake of Job Keeper ending are categorically false.
• Approximately two-thirds of Virgin Australia’s full-time airport-based team members are working normal hours. The majority of other team members are working roughly 85 per cent of their normal hours, except for a very small percent who are working reduced hours at their own election.
• Rostered hours have been steadily increasing since October and the airline has been consulting with these team members and their unions on these changes for the past six months.