Shares in Australian airline Qantas lost almost a fifth of their value after it issued a shock profits warning, flagging a half-year loss of up to A$300m (£165m).
Chief executive Alan Joyce said conditions had seen a "marked" deterioration and the airline was battling "extraordinary circumstances" including record fuel costs, a strong Australian dollar and fierce competition from subsidised rivals.
He confirmed at least 1,000 jobs would be shed though it was not clear where the axe would fall.
The profits warning sent Qantas shares into freefall, with the stock plunging as much as 17% before regaining ground to close 10.8% lower.
"The challenges we now face are immense," Mr Joyce said in an update to the Australian stock exchange.
Alan Joyce claims Qantas faces unfair competition "Since the global financial crisis, Qantas has confronted a fiercely difficult operating environment - including the strong Australian dollar and record jet fuel costs, which have exacerbated Qantas' high cost base," he added.
"The Australian international market is the toughest anywhere in the world."
Qantas was optimistic it had turned a corner after signing a major partnership with Dubai-based Emirates and reversing its 2012 annual loss - the first since privatisation - with a modest full-year profit in August.
But Thursday's announcement showed it is still facing significant headwinds.
Mr Joyce said Qantas expected to report a loss before tax in the six months to December 31 of A$250m-$300m, with passenger loads slipping significantly in November as increased competition drove down the carrier's market share.
He added that "urgent" action was needed to salvage the Flying Kangaroo's profitability, including the sacking of "at least 1,000" staff.
Mr Joyce also confirmed a 38% cut in his own pay and that of the Qantas board, a review of spending with top suppliers and a salary and bonus freeze.
The airline will undertake a structural review, to report back in February, prompting speculation a sell-off of its Jetstar assets in Asia could be on the cards.
"All options are on the table in terms of the structural review, we're not ruling anything in or anything out," Mr Joyce said when asked about potential divestments.
He added that Qantas was "in dialogue with the government on a number of different options" as he continues lobbying for the easing of foreign investment restrictions or state intervention to shore up the carrier.
Under the Qantas Sale Act, dating from 1995 when the airline was privatised, foreign ownership in the national carrier is limited to 49%, and Mr Joyce wants that revisited in the face of what he described as "unprecedented distortion" by foreign backers of the Australian market.
"Our competitors in the international market, almost all owned or generously supported by their governments, have increased capacity to pursue Australian dollar profits, changing the shape of the market permanently," the Qantas chief said.
He again took aim at domestic rival Virgin Australia, which is now majority owned by state-backed Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Etihad, accusing it of a deliberate "strategy to weaken Qantas in the domestic market" with cheap seats underwritten by foreign cash injections.
Mr Joyce has been locked in a bitter war of words with Virgin in recent weeks over what he has described as "predatory" behaviour by his rivals.
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