Hundreds of aircraft and cabin crew to take to the skies as Virgin Australia announce major COVID-19 recovery plan

Virgin Australia says it plans to reach 100 per cent capacity by the end of the calendar year in the aftermath of crippling COVID-19 restrictions, with several aircraft and 220 cabin crew set to return to the skies.

As part of its staged comeback, the airline announced plans to bring in an additional 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft to meet an expected surge in domestic tourism.

Between now and the June school holidays, Virgin has committed to add more than 220 return flights per week to its schedule on key travel routes across the country.

It comes after a year of rolling travel restrictions, which grounded hundreds of aircraft and left thousands without jobs across Australia as the airline’s capacity plummeted to 20 per cent at the height of…