Virgin Atlantic to Slash 3,150 Jobs, Move Operations to Heathrow

With an almost paralyzed global air travel industry, Virgin Atlantic is taking drastic steps to stay in business.

According to Reuters news posted by Yahoo!, over 3,150 jobs are to go, the British airline said on Tuesday. It will also move its London Gatwick operations to Heathrow airport.

The company's chief exec said in a statement that it had weathered many storms, but none as devastating as this. British Airways said last week it could cut as many as 12,000 jobs. And Ireland's Ryanair posted a 99.6% fall in passenger numbers in April.

Virgin Atlantic said it is continuing to explore all available options to get extra funding, including talks with the government and other stakeholders about possible support for the airline.

The British Airline Pilots Association said it was a terrible blow for the industry, and urged the government to help.

Virgin Atlantic is 51% owned by Richard Branson's Virgin group and 49% by U.S. airline Delta. It intends to keep its slots at Gatwick to allow it to return if customer demand rebounds.