The Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price is down 4% in a month. Here's why

Australia's national airline is facing ongoing challenges.

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airline pilot on the phone looking distraught, qantas share price

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The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price has struggled so far this month.

Shares in Australia's national carrier closed last week's trading at $4.54.

By comparison, Qantas shares opened at $4.73 in mid-July, marking a 4% decline in a month.

Along with challenges in the broader travel industry, shares in the airliner had to battle many headwinds within this period.

Let's take a look at what's been weighing down the Qantas share price.  

Border closures restricting Qantas share price

It's clear the Qantas share price has been plagued by a plethora of fast-moving events during the past 30 days.

Most prominent has been Australia's continued struggle to control the delta variant of COVID-19.

With heavy restrictions on air travel, operators like Qantas have had to drastically reduce their domestic capacity. This led to the company's decision to stand down 2,500 crew.

In addition, the airliner is looking at selling some assets in a bid to reduce its debt.

Qantas recently considered selling nearly 14 hectares of land in South Sydney's industrial precinct, worth a reported $500 million.

With tighter international and domestic border restrictions, the airliner has also launched initiatives to maintain customer loyalty.

This prompted Qantas to recently offer its high-tier frequent flyers the opportunity to retain their status with the airline until June 2022.

Outlook for the Qantas share price

Given the impact of lockdowns and border closures on the travel sector, many investors will be curious about where this will leave the company's share performance.

As a result, this reporting season will be an important bellwether for the airliner.

According to a recent note from Citi, analysts expect the airliner to report a loss of $1.2 billion for the 12 months to June 30.

In addition, the broker noted that investors will also be keeping an eye on extended lockdowns impacting the airline's future profits.

Despite an initial recovery earlier this year, the Qantas share price is currently trading more than 6% lower since the start of 2021.

Qantas is scheduled to release its results on Thursday 26 August.

Motley Fool contributor Nikhil Gangaram has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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