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Planes were left to sit idle on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport on March 30 after Virgin Australia announced it would be grounding its international fleet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virgin Australia halted international flights and cut its domestic capacity in half as the virus outbreak led countries around the world to ban foreign arrivals and Australia’s states began closing their borders.

Queensland was only allowing residents and people with special exemptions to cross the border from April 3, while Western Australia’s government announced the border would be closed to all arrivals from midnight on April 5.

The airline later sought a billion-dollar bailout from the federal government, according to reports, to remain viable. Credit: Karl Mathews via Storyful