Virgin ramps up regional flying with Embraer E190 jets
The modern E-Jets will take up regional flying across WA.
By David Flynn, August 13 2024
Australia’s regional flyers, often consigned to noisy old Boeing and Saab jets, are finally beginning to be treated like their city counterparts.
Having launched its QantasLink Airbus A220 fleet earlier this year, Qantas has just received the keys to the third of these nimble jets. A fourth is due in the coming months, with an additional 25 expected to follow as the old Boeing 717s are retired.
Now Virgin Australia is upping its game with an order for eight Embraer E190 jets, which will replace the Fokker 100s of its WA-based regional and charter business Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA).
Qantas already flies some E190s under lease from Alliance, and passengers on those flights know what to expect: a quiet and comfortable ride, with just two seats on either side of the aisle (so no one is stuck in the middle seat).
Virgin has inked a deal for eight modern Embraer E190 jets.
Virgin will take delivery of the latest E190-E2 version of the Brazilian company’s E-Jet family, with the first of the eight aircraft expected “from October 2025,” according to the airline.
“The E190-E2 is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its segment and will reduce emissions by about 30% compared to the outgoing F100,” says outgoing Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka.
“These aircraft also feature significantly lower noise profiles and enhanced passenger comfort.”
“When the E190-E2 joins the fleet from late next year, it will predominantly operate charter flights for VARA, bolstering its position as a leading operator in the WA charter market” – a position that includes a new $35 million Perth Airport hangar, with a ribbon-cutting expected in late 2024.
Of course, as many readers will remember, Virgin Australia used to fly the Embraer E190, until deciding in mid-2016 to axe the 18-strong fleet to held reduce costs and improve its balance sheet at a time when Virgin was repeatedly racking up annual losses.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 391
I'm surprised they are getting nice new E2's. Assumed at the subject that they would get 15yo+ planes that normally find their way to intra-WA and FIFO fleets. Must have got great terms with the E2's not selling well.
03 May 2021
Total posts 56
Would not make sense for virgin to use these jets across their network rather then just in WA. I’m sure there’s routes in the east coast which would be more viable to use an Embraer jet then a 737.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 173
Yes, but... FIFO can support a really high load factor, smaller east coast routes with holiday bias will be more profitable sometimes, but not always. The money is already sunk on a 737, have 5 passengers, cancel and offer then a couple of hundred bucks or an upgrade. You can pull that off to (IDK,say Ballina) but you can't do that in the business market (East coast triangle or FIFO)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Aug 2015
Total posts 10
"Australia’s regional flyers, often consigned to noisy old Boeing and Saab jets, are finally beginning to be treated like their city counterparts"
Saab Jets??
25 Mar 2021
Total posts 16
A turbo prop is a type of Jet engine.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 731
So, being realistic, VARA only services WA. Great (for WA). I can think of a half dozen inland regional cities on the East Coast that Virgin should resume services using the Embraer 190, and they won't need multiple daily services to steal market share, a single return service every 2nd day would be adequate to begin with.
03 May 2013
Total posts 678
These are the jet aircraft REX and Bonza needed to fly. Why they chose the 737 is beyond me.
05 Mar 2015
Total posts 412
Is it also "beyond you" that Rex was able to lease those 737s and at bottom-of-the-market rates and also had a ready supply of pilots, crew, technicians and engineers trained on the 737 as part of Virgin's collapse? That's the only way Rex could manage to start jet services and they still couldn't make it profitable. But yeah, sure, buying or leasing new E190s and then having to pay top dollar for E190 crew, yeah, that would have changed the economics for sure and made Rex a sure-fire hit.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Sep 2011
Total posts 15
Not sure why the Qantas 220’s are being mentioned. They are replacing 717’s that do not fly in WA. Also none of their E190’s fly in WA. Qantas still flies a dozen F100’s on FIFO and regional routes with no announced plans to replace them.
03 May 2021
Total posts 56
I think I’ve heard some articles say that Qantas will replace the f100 with a220 in due course but that will stil be a while away. Qantas may also be getting more a319 which they have been using in wa for a few months now.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 981
I think there is a bigger story here than just jets for FIFO
11 May 2022
Total posts 4
?
15 Sep 2016
Total posts 7
This is GREAT NEWS for all of us in "the forgotten state" of WA. There is a big local market here besides the FIFO market, and I sincerely hope that Virgin is considering re-starting the Perth - Albany route, the Perth-Broome route (if it doesn't already) and if would be great to have Virgin as a choice on the extremely popular Perth-Bali route.
29 Jan 2012
Total posts 179
Given Virgin's financial state, this story sounds quite empty and I doubt will eventuate. Most possibly a build up of image for the impending float.
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