AIRLINE Virgin Atlantic is asking 8,500 staff to take eight weeks of unpaid leave to reduce costs while it requests a taxpayer-funded bailout due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The appeal came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government’s most stringent measures yet, in a desperate bid to prevent all non-essential contact and contain the spread of the virus in Britain.

The aviation industry is facing a crisis, with Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways joining Virgin in reducing services amid travel restrictions and a huge drop in demand.