Greater than 3,000 Virgin Australia staff members and their households final weekend celebrated the arrival of the airline’s first fuel-efficient Boeing 737 Max 8 plane.
Contemporary from the Boeing manufacturing unit in Seattle and that includes that new aircraft scent, the Max 8 plane marks an essential milestone within the transformation of Virgin Australia with its fleet renewal programme nicely underway.
The primary Boeing 737 Max plane is one in every of 33 fuel-efficient Max 8 and bigger Max 10 plane Virgin Australia has on order.
With the arrival of the 737 Max, Virgin Australia has additionally revealed its new enterprise class and financial system cabin inside, in addition to confirming plans to refresh the inside cabins on the airline’s remaining Boeing fleet, as a part of an funding of roughly A$110 million to enhance the flying expertise.
This may embrace in-seat energy for all enterprise class and financial system seats; bigger overhead lockers, with capability to stow as much as 50 per cent extra carry-on baggage; wider enterprise class seats which additionally function leg rests with extendable footrests, storage compartments, pill/system holders and water bottle holders.
The up to date cabins will likely be accessible on all new 737 Max plane, and they’re going to regularly roll out on the present 737-800 fleet as these plane bear refurbishment, with the work set to be full within the subsequent two years.
That mentioned, the airline’s 737 enterprise class seats will nonetheless be recliners in a 2-2 configuration, in comparison with 3-3 in financial system.
Virgin Australia Group CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka, mentioned she was excited to welcome the Boeing 737 Max into the fleet.
“It’s great to be right here celebrating the arrival of our new fuel-efficient plane with the broader Virgin Australia household,” mentioned Hrdlicka.
“We anticipate our fleet renewal program, along with different gas effectivity initiatives, will help over 80 per cent of our 2030 interim goal to cut back Virgin Australia’s carbon emission depth by 22 per cent,” she added.
Talking concerning the new cabin interiors, Virgin Australia Group chief buyer and digital officer, Paul Jones, mentioned:
“In 2021 we launched a prototype cabin inside on two Boeing 737-800 plane, and during the last couple of years we’ve been in a position to acquire suggestions from our company, which permits us to boost our total Boeing fleet with the options which might be most essential to them. We’ve at all times mentioned that we’re a enterprise that listens to its clients, and it is a testomony to that.
“In the event you have a look at the enterprise group, what issues most to them exterior of community schedule is in-seat energy and in-flight Wi-Fi, so I’m actually excited that may function on nearly all of our fleet. There’s additionally an enormous variety of clients who fly with us for leisure who worth in-seat energy for a unique motive – powering gadgets to maintain their youngsters entertained, or streaming and bingeing on the most recent must-see exhibits.”
On the finish of June, Virgin Australia commenced a day by day Cairns-Tokyo Haneda service. Going ahead, the airline’s new 737 Max 8 is ready to completely function that route.