The airline company Virgin Australia finally took possession of the first of eight Boeing 737MAX 8 expected, the 25 MAX 10 ordered not to be delivered before 2024 at the earliest.
Based at the airport of Brisbanethe Australian company saw its first 737-8 leave Seattle on January 27, 2023 and arrive via Hawaii and the Fiji Islands this Friday morning, too late to inaugurate the new link between Cairns and Fiji as hoped for in January. Tokyo Haneda (its Japan premiere will host the MAX at the end of July). This first 737-8 from Virgin Australia, registered VH-8IA and baptized “Monkey Mia”, was leased to CALC; it is configured to accommodate 8 passengers in Business class and 162 in Economy.
Stuart Aggs, chief operating officer of Virgin Australia, said the new MAX family aircraft ” are a vital part of the airline’s transformation, not only providing a more comfortable experience for customers, but also forming the backbone of Virgin Australia’s decarbonization “.
These new devices will allow us to increase our capacity and offer more efficient jet air transport services “, he added, ” and most importantly, they will reduce emissions by at least 15% per flight compared to the 737-800NG fleet, supporting our commitment to target net zero emissions by 2050 “.
Virgin Atlantic currently operates nine 737-700 and 75 737-800, with two more MAX 8 deliveries expected “mid-year” and the last five from the fourth quarter. She has also been waiting since 2018 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10whose certification by the FAA is still pending.
