Virgin Australia is due to receive its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the end of June, which the airline plans to deploy on flights to Tokyo soon thereafter.
The 737-8 will leave Seattle for Brisbane in late June. It will be used on domestic routes for a short period, so the carrier can complete regulatory approvals and crew familiarization for the new type, Virgin said.
After these steps have been completed, it will be used on Virgin’s planned route from Cairns, Australia, to Tokyo Haneda Airport. This will be the carrier’s first international long-haul route since before the pandemic.
The Tokyo route is due to launch June 28, although it will first be flown with one of Virgin’s 737-700s until the 737-8 is ready to take over.
Virgin initially planned to launch the Tokyo route with the 737-8, but the airline had to come up with an interim measure due to delivery delays. The first -8 was previously expected to arrive in the first half of 2023.
The 737-700s have sufficient range to operate the Tokyo flights nonstop. Virgin Australia was allocated the Haneda slot before the coronavirus pandemic but has yet to use it.
Virgin Australia has a total of eight leased 737-8s scheduled for delivery. The airline also has 25 737-10s on order. Virgin Australia currently has a fleet of more than 80 737NGs, most of which are 737-800s.
Related Content
