Dear Virgin Australia team

Dear Virgin Australia team,

I am so proud of all of you and everything we have achieved together. 20 years ago, we wanted to bring much needed competition to Australia’s skies, to lower airfares, to give consumers choice, to create thousands of jobs and to put a smile on people’s faces. Inspired by that vision, we created Virgin Blue, which grew into Virgin Australia. Together we created an airline that embodied the Virgin brand – an incredible team focused upon innovation and great customer experience to make people’s lives better. 

I know how devastating the news today will be to you all. In most countries federal governments have stepped in, in this unprecedented crisis for aviation, to help their airlines. Sadly, that has not happened in Australia.

This is not the end for Virgin Australia and its unique culture. Never one to give up, I want to assure all of you – and our competitor - that we are determined to see Virgin Australia back up and running soon. We will work with Virgin Australia’s administrators and management team, with investors and with government to make this happen and create a stronger business ready to provide even more value to customers, competition to the market, stimulus to the economy, and jobs for our wonderful people.

Virgin Australia has captured the hearts of all Australians. That is down to all of you – past and present – who made it the best airline to fly within Australia.

This is not the end for Virgin Australia, but I believe a new beginning. I promise that we will work day and night to turn this into reality.

Best to you and your families

Richard