Virgin Australia Airlines (Brisbane) today (February 3) retired its last Embraer 190. VH-ZPH operated flight VA 1105 from Newcastle to Brisbane.

Newcastle Airport announced the last departure on social media:

In other news, this week, Virgin Australia welcomed its newest Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation (NG) aircraft to the fleet, named “Dreamtime Beach”. This delivery completes the Boeing 737 fleet of more than 80 aircraft.

Below Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker. The last Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 VH-YWE (msn 41015, ln 6775) taxies at a soggy Boeing Field.

Photo Above: Virgin Australia.

Top Copyright Photo: Virgin Australia Airlines Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW VH-ZPR (msn 19000424) PER (Micheil Keegan). Image: 908555.

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia on February 28 announced plans to launch flights between Sydney and Hong Kong, increasing the airline’s presence into Greater China.

Subject to authorization, Virgin Australia plans to operate daily return services between the two cities with its dual aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft, featuring ‘The Business’, which has been named the world’s best Business Class for two consecutive years¹.

The announcement comes just seven months after Virgin Australia commenced its inaugural flights to Hong Kong from Melbourne, bringing choice and competition on this route.

Virgin Australia plans to commence services between Sydney and Hong Kong in mid-2018, subject to relevant approvals.

Sydney to Hong Kong Schedule³

Melbourne to Hong Kong Schedule (effective mid-2018)

Photo Above: Virgin Australia Airlines.

¹‘The Business’ was named Best Business Class 2017 and 2018 by global ratings agency, AirlineRatings.com.

² According to Tourism Australia’s Greater China Country Profile.

³ Subject to authorization.

Top Copyright Photo: Virgin Australia Airlines Airbus A330-243 VH-XFB (msn 372) SYD (John Adlard). Image: 912544.

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia on March 19, 2018 announced it will commence services between Brisbane and Alice Springs, increasing its regional domestic network offering.

From June 19, 2018, Virgin Australia will operate a twice-weekly return service on Tuesdays and Thursdays under a wet lease agreement with Alliance Airlines, operated by Alliance’s Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 fleet of aircraft.

Services between Brisbane and Rockhampton, currently operated by Alliance’s Fokker 100 fleet, will also benefit with Virgin Australia upgrading two existing return flights to its Boeing 737 aircraft, adding over 300 seats per week in to the region.

Brisbane-Alice Springs Schedule

Copyright Photo: Alliance Airlines (Australia) Fokker F.28 Mk. 0100 (Fokker 100) VH-XWN (msn 11278) BNE (Peter Gates). Image: 906002.

Alliance Airlines aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia on April 3 announced its Sydney-Hong Kong flights are now on sale, with the inaugural flight scheduled to depart as flight VA83 from Sydney at 10 am on July 2, 2018.

The airline will operate daily services between the two destinations, operated by its dual aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft, featuring the award-winning Business Class product, ‘The Business’, which has been named the world’s best for two consecutive years¹.

Virgin Australia has also announced an interline partnership with HK Express, allowing passengers to travel from Melbourne or Sydney to Hong Kong and connect through to destinations throughout Asia. These services will go on sale later this month.

Copyright Photo: Virgin Australia Airlines Airbus A330-243 F-WWYU (VH-XFC) (msn 1293) TLS (Olivier Gregoire). Image: 908358.

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia made this announcement:

The airlines commenced the strategic alliance at the end of 2010 to cooperate on services between New Zealand and Australia. Current regulatory approval for the alliance expires at the end of October this year and the parties will not apply for renewal.

Air New Zealand Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace says market dynamics on the Tasman have changed and the time is now right for each airline to focus on its own objectives.

Current trans-Tasman alliance arrangements will remain in place until October 27, 2018 and customers travelling before this date will be unaffected. Customers booked with Air New Zealand to travel on a Virgin Australia service (or vice versa) after October 28 will be contacted by their booking airline.

Top Copyright Photo: Air New Zealand Boeing 777-219 ER ZK-OKE (msn 32712) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 937555.

Air New Zealand aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Virgin Australia Airlines Boeing 737-8FE WL VH-YIA (msn 37824) HNL (Ivan K. Nishimura). Image: 913307.

Virgin Australia operated its inaugural Sydney – Hong Kong flight on July 1, after lion dancers and drummers marched through Sydney Airport, led by Dannii Minogue.

Virgin Australia now operates 12 return services weekly from Australia to Hong Kong, with daily flights from Sydney and 5 flights per week from Melbourne.

Photo: Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia on September 27, 2018 will launch nonstop service from Hobart, Tasmania to Perth, Western Australia. The new route will operate three days a week with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Photo Above Virgin Australia. 2018 is the Chinese Year Of The Dog, and a pack of picture paw-fect pooches joined the Virgin Australia Cabin Crew and Dannii Minogue on the tarmac to celebrate the inaugural Sydney – Hong Kong flight.

Top Copyright Photo: Virgin Australia Airlines Boeing 737-8FE WL VH-YIS (msn 39926) DPS (Pascal Simon). Image: 942654.

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia today unveiled a suite of enhancements to make the journey to New Zealand even more comfortable for Australian travellers, including becoming the only airline to offer WiFi for all Trans-Tasman flights.

From October 28, 2018, all Virgin Australia guests flying to Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin will receive:

• A substantial meal and drink included in all fares;
• At least 23kg of baggage included in all fares;
• WiFi on all flights including 15 minutes of complimentary access; and
• Increased Velocity Frequent Flyer Points and Status Credits earn potential.

Virgin Australia Airlines Group Executive Rob Sharp, said the airline was excited to provide an even better product and service for guests travelling to New Zealand.

“Last year, 1.5 million Australians flew to New Zealand and we’re looking forward to making their trip across the ditch even more enjoyable with a meal and drink as well as WiFi so they can keep connected whilst in the sky,” he said.

“We’re committed to expanding our presence in New Zealand with new services including flights from Sydney to Wellington; Melbourne to Queenstown; and Newcastle to Auckland as well as extra flights to Auckland, all of which commence in the next couple of months.”

Virgin Australia’s award-winning loyalty program, Velocity Frequent Flyer, has also announced new benefits for members travelling to Short Haul International destinations such as New Zealand, Bali, Fiji, and Samoa.

From 28 October, Velocity members will now be awarded a minimum of five Points per dollar spent¹ on fares from New Zealand. Platinum, Gold and Silver members will continue to earn a Points Bonus meaning that Platinum Velocity members will now receive up to 10 Points per dollar spent.²

Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Karl Schuster, said he was delighted to give Velocity members more Points earning power, as well as improving the number of Status Credits earned on Short Haul International flights.

“For the first time, Velocity members will earn Points per dollar spent for Short Haul International destinations, rather than based on the distance travelled. Members will earn more Velocity Points when travelling to these destinations and we believe our Points offer for New Zealand flights is one of the best,” he said.

“Members will also experience improved Status Credit earn to many Short Haul International destinations including flights to and from New Zealand. This means members can achieve a higher Velocity status faster and unlock further membership benefits.”

Virgin Australia today also announced a codeshare arrangement with Singapore Airlines on flights between Melbourne and Wellington, for travel from 28 October. The flights, operated by Singapore Airlines, will operate four times per week and will allow Virgin Australia customers to seamlessly connect their travel and baggage onto other destinations and enable Velocity members to earn Points and Status Credits.³

¹ Flights purchased in NZD or other currency will earn Velocity Points based on AUD-equivalent spent
² Flights purchased in NZD or other currency will earn Velocity Points based on AUD-equivalent spent
³ Where your Trans-Tasman or International Short Haul journey contains a flight with a VA flight number operated by a Velocity Partner Airline you will earn Points and Status Credits based on your fare class and the number of miles flown for the whole journey, including any flights operated by Virgin Australia

Top Copyright Photo (all other by Virgin Australia): Virgin Australia Airlines Boeing 737-8FE WL VH-YIM (msn 38716) DPS (Pascal Simon). Image: 942980.

Virgin Australia aircraft slide show:

Virgin Australia today announced it has achieved an Australian first, with the successful completion of a trial to deliver sustainable aviation fuel through Brisbane Airport’s general fuel supply system.

Working in partnership with the Queensland Government, Brisbane Airport Corporation, US-based biofuel producer Gevo, Inc. and supply chain partners Caltex and DB Schenker, Virgin Australia led the procurement and blending of sustainable aviation fuel, or biojet, with traditional jet fuel for supply into the fuel infrastructure at Brisbane Airport.

This is the first time that sustainable aviation fuel has been delivered through the general fuel supply system at any airport in Australia and makes Brisbane Airport one of the few airports globally where this has occurred.

As a result of the trial, biojet has now been used to fuel 195 domestic and international flights departing from Brisbane Airport, travelling more than 430,000 kilometres to destinations across Queensland, Australia and around the globe.

Biojet meets recognised international quality and safety standards and contributes to lower levels of carbon emissions compared to traditional fossil jet fuel on a life cycle basis. It can be derived from sustainable sources including sugarcane bagasse, molasses, wood waste and agave and is already in use at major airports in Oslo and Los Angeles.

Virgin Australia Airlines Group Executive, Rob Sharp, said the airline was proud to lead the delivery of sustainable aviation fuel into the fuel infrastructure at Brisbane Airport.

“Virgin Australia is leading the way in the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel in Australia. We recognise that there is a great opportunity to develop a thriving sustainable fuels industry, which will help to reduce emissions and drive investment and jobs growth in Australia.

“The successful completion of the trial at Brisbane Airport is the first important step in ensuring Australian airports and the fuel supply chain will be ready for the regular supply of sustainable fuels in Australia.

“We would like to thank the Queensland Government and our partners for their involvement and look forward to fuelling more flights departing from Brisbane Airport with biojet over the next 12-18 months,” he said.

Speaking from Brisbane Airport, Queensland Premier, the Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk, said she was pleased with the work that had been undertaken with the trial to progress developing a local biofuels industry in Australia.

“This is another step forward in a homegrown biofuels industry – one that my government is supporting. Our own biofuels producers have a ready customer in Virgin Australia and I look forward to their cooperation growing,” Premier Palaszczuk said.

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) Chief Executive Officer, Gert-Jan de Graaff, said the initiative was clearly aligned with BAC’s strategy to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

“BAC is committed to reducing Brisbane Airport’s impact on the environment and putting in place programs that help us to manage and minimise the long-term impacts of climate change.

“We are very proud to be the first airport in Australia, and one of only a few hubs in the world, to have biofuel as part of its fuel supply system as it will help reduce Brisbane Airport’s carbon footprint even further by assisting the airlines to reduce their emissions,” Mr de Graaff said.

Caltex Executive General Manager, Fuels & Infrastructure, Louise Warner, said that Caltex was delighted to support Virgin Australia’s trial of biojet in the Australian airspace.

“Our team at Lytton used their extensive supply chain skills and jet fuel quality control knowledge to manage the successful biojet supply trial, right here in Queensland.

“As a proud Australian company and Australia’s largest supplier of transport fuels, we support the investigation of alternative fuels such as biojet as part of the future fuel options for Australia, and we acknowledge Virgin Australia’s leadership in achieving this important milestone,” she said.

Photos: Virgin Australia.

Boeing

Virgin Australia has announced it will delay the delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The airline has 48 copies on order (23 MAX 8s and 25 MAX 10s).

The first delivery has been delayed from November 2019 to July 2021. The first delivery will be a MAX 10.

Virgin Australia Airlines is now the first airline in Australia to install Split Scimitar Winglets on its Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft.  The Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) product, a retrofit of the existing Blended Winglets, is the most advanced technology winglet ever produced, offering unprecedented fuel savings and carbon emissions reductions for the world’s most popular commercial aircraft.

Installation on the first aircraft was completed last week in Christchurch and now Virgin Australia can expect to reduce fuel consumption by about 200,000 liters per aircraft per year.  The resulting carbon dioxide emissions reduction is about 515 tonnes per aircraft per year.

Since launching the Split Scimitar Winglet program for the Boeing Next-Generation 737, APB has taken orders and options for over 2,200 systems, and over 1,200 aircraft are now operating with the technology.  APB estimates its products have reduced aircraft fuel consumption worldwide by over 9.8 billion gallons to-date, thereby eliminating over 104 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Virgin Australia has announced it will withdraw its services between Australia and Hong Kong following a comprehensive review of the route. The Hong Kong market has remained challenging for the airline and demand has continued to decline following ongoing civil unrest. These factors, combined with growing uncertainty around the recent coronavirus outbreak, have led to the decision to cease operating services.

Virgin Australia previously announced the suspension of its Melbourne-Hong Kong services in November 2019, which is effective from February 11, 2020. The Sydney-Hong Kong service will cease operating from March 2, 2020.

Guests booked to travel on services between Sydney and Hong Kong from March 2, 2020 onwards, will be contacted by Virgin Australia via email, or by their travel provider to provide alternative arrangements.

Virgin Australia aircraft photo gallery:

The Virgin Australia Group has announced a number of further changes as part of its fleet and network review to help manage costs, improve financial performance and respond to current market conditions.

The changes come as coronavirus has a weakening effect on international and domestic demand, with an expected $50-75 million impact to the Group’s earnings for FY20 as reported in its 1H20 results today.

The Group will reduce overall network capacity by three percent in 2H20, which includes a three percent reduction in domestic capacity and short-term capacity reductions on the Tasman in Q4FY20 to manage current conditions.

The changes focus largely on leisure destinations where demand is weaker, and where Virgin Australia and Tigerair both operate, and includes the withdrawal from five unprofitable Tigerair routes and some frequency consolidation on existing domestic routes where demand has also been impacted.

In line with the reduction, seven additional Tigerair Airbus A320 aircraft will cease flying by October 2020. This follows the announcement of five aircraft exits in November 2019, bringing the total to 12, which will help the Group further manage costs and improve financial performance.

The impact of the current fleet reduction initiative is equivalent to approximately a five percent Virgin Australia Group capacity reduction in FY21.

Network changes

Tigerair Australia will exit the following domestic leisure routes in addition to frequency reductions on existing routes:

• Melbourne-Coffs Harbour from April 27, 2020
• Sydney-Coffs Harbour from April 27, 2020
• Adelaide-Sydney from April 27, 2020
• Sydney-Cairns from April 27, 2020
• Hobart-Gold Coast from April 28, 2020

Internationally, the Group already announced the withdrawal from the Hong Kong market due to ongoing challenges with the route, impact of civil unrest and coronavirus on demand. Short-term capacity reductions will be made on the Tasman in Q4FY20 due to weakening demand attributable to coronavirus.

Passengers with bookings impacted by these changes will be proactively communicated with and re-accommodated onto other services. Tigerair customers impacted by the above route exits will be re-accommodated onto other Tigerair flights where possible, or onto Virgin Australia services.

Fleet changes

Seven Airbus A320 aircraft are scheduled to exit Tigerair’s fleet in addition to two A320 aircraft exits from Tigerair previously announced in November 2019, making a total of nine A320s to cease flying by October 2020. Two Boeing 737 aircraft will be transferred from Virgin Australia’s fleet into the Tigerair fleet.

The changes accelerate the transition of Tigerair Australia to an all-Boeing 737 fleet, which brings cost and operational advantages to the low-cost carrier over operating multiple fleet types.

CEO commentary

Virgin Australia Group CEO and Managing Director, Paul Scurrah, said “Today, we’ve made some important fleet and network changes that will help us improve our financial performance and respond to market conditions.

“There’s no doubt we are operating in a tough market, and we need to make sure our capacity deployment is disciplined to ensure our routes are profitable for our business. Coronavirus is having a significant impact on the travel industry and these changes will help us manage the changes we’re seeing in demand.

“We maintain a very strong network of more than 450 destinations between us and our partners and, whilst we have made some announcements to manage costs today, we are as focused as ever on continuing to deliver a great experience for our customers.

“I’m pleased we can accelerate the transition of Tigerair to an all Boeing 737 fleet which will help get the business into a better financial position moving forward.”

Tigerair aircraft photo gallery:

Virgin Australia Group has made this announcement:

Key changes are:

• Reducing the daily Brisbane to Haneda service to three times per week from March 29 until May 3.

• Reducing the daily Sydney to Los Angeles service to five times per week from early May to early June.

• Further reducing Trans-Tasman services from a 2.6 percent reduction to 6 percent for 2H20, including the strategic reduction of frequencies on Auckland-Melbourne to daily from May and a temporary reduction on Auckland-Sydney services.

In addition, the Group also announced an exit of the following services as a continuation of the ongoing network strategic review:

• Auckland-Tonga to cease on May 1.

• Auckland-Rarotonga to cease on July 21.

The Group will continue to assess any impact from COVID-19 and respond with relevant changes as conditions evolve.

Continued focus on cost reduction

In addition to the already announced 750 non-Enterprise Agreement (EA) role reductions and middle and senior management salary freezes, the Group is also undertaking further measures to reduce costs including:

• Seeking relief on Government charges.

• A decrease in marketing spend.

• Stopping all discretionary spend and non-critical capital expenditure.

• Targeting a reduction in hotel accommodation charges.

• Leave initiatives including using accrued annual leave or unpaid leave or reducing standard working hours where operationally available.

• A freeze on all external recruitment and the use of consultants for the remainder of FY20.

• Chairman and Independent Directors to reduce their base fees by 15 per cent temporarily. Nominee Directors do not currently receive fees.

• Reducing all bonuses to zero across the Group for FY20.

• No base salary increases for non-EA team members.

Virgin Australia has made this announcement:

Virgin Australia Group made this announcement:

The Virgin Australia Group continues to monitor passenger demand and has made further adjustments to its flying schedule. Demand for travel has continued to decline with border restrictions and the need for people to stay home due to social distancing measures.

The Group will continue to operate a daily service between Melbourne and Sydney but will temporarily suspend other passenger flying from Friday, April 10, 2020 while restrictions remain in place. We continue to support the Australian Government with flights between Los Angeles (below) and Hong Kong to help bring Australians home and maintain important freight links in and out of the country.

Demand for charter services in the resources sector remains strong and we continue to support our customers with services. We also remain open to charter opportunities or any flying the Australian Government needs support with.

We stand ready to support Australians flying to their destinations again when travel restrictions ease.

All photos by Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia has made this announcement:

Here to get you home

As a major Australian airline, we are proud to support the Federal Government in returning passengers home and enabling essential travellers to continue flying during this time, as well as maintain important freight links into and across the country.

In addition to repatriation flights to Los Angeles and Hong Kong, Virgin Australia will operate 64 domestic return services each week as per the below schedule.

If you have been impacted by the recent flight cancellations and still wish to travel, you may rebook using the travel credit issued to a Travel Bank. If you have not received communications from us regarding your Travel Bank, please call our Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 to re-book on the services listed below.

Network schedule

Our domestic and international schedules during this time can be found by selecting either option below.

Domestic flightsInternational flights

We are pleased to be offering 64 return services across Australia each week. The route map below displays the routes we are operating during this time, and the schedule lists the days of operation per route.

Origin	Destination	Days of operation
Adelaide	Melbourne
Melbourne	Adelaide
Broome	Perth
Perth	Broome
Brisbane	Cairns
Cairns	Brisbane
Brisbane	Melbourne
Melbourne	Brisbane
Brisbane	Mackay
Mackay	Brisbane
Brisbane	Rockhampton
Rockhampton	Brisbane
Brisbane	Sydney
Sydney	Brisbane
Brisbane	Townsville
Townsville	Brisbane
Canberra	Melbourne
Melbourne	Canberra
Kalgoorlie	Perth
Perth	Kalgoorlie
Kununurra	Perth
Perth	Kununurra
Karratha	Perth
Perth	Karratha
Melbourne	Perth
Perth	Melbourne
Melbourne	Sydney
Sydney	Melbourne
Gold Coast	Sydney
Sydney	Gold Coast
Perth	Port Hedland
Port Hedland	Perth
Perth	Newman
Newman	Perth

We will always do our best to get you to your destination on time, however, we do not guarantee flight times or schedules and they do not form part of your contract with us.

Our repatriation flights are operating from Australia to Hong Kong and Los Angeles to help Australians return home safely.

Origin	Destination	Days of operation
Brisbane Departing 1000	Hong Kong Arriving 1700
Hong Kong Departing 0900	Brisbane Arriving 2010
Brisbane Departing 1105	Los Angeles Arriving 0710
Los Angeles Departing 1330	Brisbane Arriving 2030

We will always do our best to get you to your destination on time, however, we do not guarantee flight times or schedules and they do not form part of your contract with us.

Virgin Australia Holdings Limited on April 21 entered voluntary administration to recapitalize the business and help ensure it emerges in a stronger financial position on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Group’s Board of Directors has appointed Vaughan Strawbridge, John Greig, Sal Algeri and Richard Hughes of Deloitte as voluntary administrators of the company and a number of its subsidiaries. Velocity Frequent Flyer, while owned by the Group, is a separate company and is not in administration.

The decision comes as the Group has continued to seek financial assistance from a number of parties, including State and Federal Governments, to help it through the unprecedented crisis, however is yet to secure the required support.

Virgin Australia will continue to operate its scheduled international and domestic flights which are helping to transport essential workers, maintain important freight corridors, and return Australians home. The administrators will be supported by the Group’s current management team, led by Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah, and will work closely with team members, suppliers, and partners throughout the process.

Administrator, Vaughan Strawbridge, said: “Our intention is to undertake a process to restructure and re-finance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible.

“We are committed to working with Paul and the Virgin Australia team and are progressing well on some immediate steps. We have commenced a process of seeking interest from parties for participation in the recapitalisation of the business and its future, and there have been several expressions of interest so far,” said Mr Strawbridge.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer, Paul Scurrah, said: “Our decision today is about securing the future of the Virgin Australia Group and emerging on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.

“In 20 years, the Virgin Australia Group has earned its place as part of the fabric of Australia’s tourism industry. We employ more than 10,000 people and a further 6,000 indirectly, fly to 41 destinations including major cities and regional communities, have more than 10 million members of our Velocity loyalty program, and contribute around $11 billion to the Australian economy every year,” said Mr Scurrah.

“Australia needs a second airline and we are determined to keep flying. Virgin Australia will play a vital role in getting the Australian economy back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the country has access to competitive and high-quality air travel.”

The Board of Directors regret that these events have come to pass and acknowledge all the Group’s employees for their hard work and contribution. The COVID-19 pandemic came as the Group was progressing on a significant transformation program to reset its cost base including consolidating its workforce, simplifying the fleet, withdrawing from unprofitable routes and reviewing and renegotiating supplier agreements.

Virgin Australia aircraft photo gallery:

The Virgin Australia Group will increase domestic flying and introduce new safety and wellbeing measures as state travel restrictions begin to ease and more travellers return to the skies.

The additional services will see Virgin Australia double current capacity by early July, adding approximately 30,000 seats across 320 flights per week to its domestic schedule.

• Expanded capital city connections and frequencies between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth

• Resumption of services between Brisbane-Adelaide, Brisbane-Canberra, Brisbane-Perth and Sydney-Perth

• More flexibility to travel with increased frequencies on intrastate Queensland and Western Australia routes

• New set of safety and wellbeing measures to minimize risks associated with COVID-19

Virgin Australia will also introduce a comprehensive new set of safety and wellbeing measures including pre-departure eligibility and health screening, contactless check-in, more frequent cleaning onboard and at the airport, and expanded social distancing measures.

The measures, which will be fully implemented by 12 June have been developed in close collaboration with airlines and airports across Australia as part of the Australian Aviation Recovery Coalition. The measures will continue to be reviewed in line with any changes to its schedule, the latest medical advice, government restrictions and guest feedback.

COMMENTARY

Virgin Australia Group Chief Commercial Officer John MacLeod said as state travel restrictions further ease, demand for air travel has started to return which is why more services and increased frequencies are being added.

“By early July, we will have gradually added approximately 30,000 seats across 320 flights per week to our schedule – more than doubling our capacity and providing more flexibility for guests.

“It’s early days but these services will be a welcomed boost to Australia’s tourism industry and help the nation’s economy and aviation sector to rebuild. The services will also give us the opportunity to bring team members back to work, who I know have been looking forward to welcoming and sharing our award-winning customer service.

“Importantly as travel begins to increase, the safety and wellbeing of guests remains crucial, which is why measures to minimise risks associated with COVID-19 are being introduced. We recommend that any guest who is feeling unwell or has flu-like symptoms, do not travel – flights for travel up until 30 September can be changed without fees if needed.”

Virgin Australia Group Medical Officer Dr Sara Souter said the new measures will ensure that we appropriately manage the latest advice from government and remain vigilant when it comes to hygiene and personal protection.

“We will be adopting contactless check-in, a new sequenced boarding and disembarkation process and guests will see more frequent cleaning of high touch surfaces on the aircraft and within the airport. In addition, a new health questionnaire will be rolled out as part of the check-in process to ensure passengers are fit to fly and to assist with contact tracing,” said Dr Souter.

“It’s important to remember that the inflight environment is very different to that of other modes of group transport, with a range of protective features including hospital-grade air filtration systems, directional airflow and high seat backs between travellers. The international evidence supports very low-risk of COVID-19 transmission inflight, which is also our experience to-date in Australia.

“Everyone has a role to play, which is why we are asking guests to be mindful of their own personal protection and others when moving around the cabin. Team members and guests are being encouraged to regularly wash their hands and avoid touching their face, and hand sanitiser and masks will be available to all guests on request.

“Wherever possible, we will try to do our best to keep an empty seat between guests travelling alone, however this may not always be available. Families and travelling companions will be able to sit together.”

Guests travelling are encouraged to download the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe tracing app. Guests should also ensure their details are updated via the My Bookings function at virginaustralia.com or with their travel agent prior to commencing travel.

Virgin Australia aircraft photo gallery:

Virgin Australia has made this announcement:

Virgin Australia is today a step closer to re-launch with the announcement that Bain Capital has entered into an agreement with its Administrators to become the new owner of the airline.

The Virgin Australia Group will now work closely with Bain Capital on its vision for the business moving forward.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Paul Scurrah, said that today was a significant step forward in securing the airline’s future.

“This is a great day for Virgin Australia and a huge milestone as we move forward with Bain Capital,” said Mr Scurrah.

“Bain Capital has spent many hours over the past weeks speaking to us and getting a deep understanding of our business and working to secure a deal with our administrators. We know they are committed to investing in the airline and we are thrilled to be working with them into the future.

“It was always the goal to bring our airline out of administration as quickly as possible in a stronger financial position and this announcement brings us a step closer to that. Bain’s investment will cement our future as a major Australian carrier, secure thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and ensure we can continue to bring competition to millions of customers for many years to come.

“We thank our customers and partners for their loyalty and support during such a challenging period. Australia needs a second airline and, with the significant backing of Bain Capital, we’ll continue to serve our customers with competitive fares and high-quality air travel into the future.

“We also thank Deloitte partners John Greig, Sal Algeri, Richard Hughes and Vaughan Strawbridge, and the teams at Morgan Stanley, Clayton Utz and Houlihan Lokey for their work getting us to this point.”

Approved for release by John Greig, Administrator, Deloitte.

Virgin Australia aircraft photo gallery: