Virgin expands Boeing 737 fleet to boost zero emissions pledge

Virgin Australia will expand its Boeing 737 offering with four additional aircraft to join its fleet in 2023, as the airline scrambles to meet the rising consumer demand for air travel.

The four new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft will join the four aircraft already added to Virgin’s fleet in April. The airline said on Wednesday that the eight planes will reduce emissions by 15 per cent per flight, forming an important part of Virgin’s net-zero emissions journey.

Virgin’s chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said the announcement highlighted the group’s commitment to injecting strong competition into the local aviation market and “underscores our confidence in our underlying performance and commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Since the airline’s relaunch in November 2020, Virgin has doubled its Boeing 737 fleet by close to 60 per cent to 92 aircraft from 58.

The airline has also announced a joint investment with Civil Aviation in a new pilot flight simulator in Jandakot, near Perth, increasing its domestic training capacity by 25 per cent to service more than 200 pilots.

In May, Virgin returned to Sydney’s international departure board for the first time in two years under a partnership with United Airlines, weeks after another partnership was signed with Qatar Airways.

Directly after Qantas announced their $50 discount apology to frequent flyers, Virgin opened fast-tracked security for its frequent flyer members and business class guests at Melbourne and Brisbane airports.

The fleet expansion by Virgin follows new data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, which revealed nearly 3000 domestic flights were cancelled in July, as the sector continues to grapple with staff shortages, COVID-19 and record-high demand.

Overall, 6.4 flights were cancelled by airlines over the month, up from 5.8 per cent in June. Virgin cancelled one in every 11 or 12 flights and only half of flights arrived or departed on time.