Virgin Atlantic plans to ax up to 600 jobs, according to published reports on Thursday.
"With falling demand for travel, airlines have to reduce their costs through a variety of measures, including cutting capacity, freezing pay, unpaid leave and, regrettably, adjusting staff numbers," said Virgin Atlantic CEO Steve Ridgway.
Meanwhile, Ryanair announced reductions at its Dublin Airport base for the summer schedule. The cuts include an 18% decrease in flights and the loss of 200 jobs among pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
Ryanair accuses Ireland’s government of making a poor economic environment worse by introducing a tourist tax in April.
"The decision by the Irish government to introduce a flat-rate tourist tax of 10 euros is nothing less than tourism suicide," said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. "This travel tax will exacerbate the traffic decline at Dublin, as price-sensitive visitors will avoid Ireland and choose other lower-cost destinations."
