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Bloomberg
Qantas Airways Ltd is slashing capacity on international flights in Asia by 15% and freezing recruitment as the coronavirus drives down travel demand.
The reductions apply to flights to mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore and will be in place until at least the end of May, the Australian airline said in a statement.
The cuts are the equivalent of grounding 18 planes across Qantas and its low-cost division Jetstar, the company said. Qantas forecast the coronavirus will reduce profit by as much as $100 million in the year ending June.
The breadth of the cuts reflects the scale of the challenge facing airlines in the region. Qantas said the decline in travel demand started on China routes, but has since spread to Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.