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Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka holds a model of the E190-E2 at the signing ceremony on Aug. 13, 2024.
Virgin Australia has selected Embraer’s E190-E2 aircraft for fleet replacement and growth in its regional and charter subsidiary Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA).
The carrier has placed firm orders for eight aircraft, which are due to be delivered beginning late next year. Entry into service is targeted for October 2025. The regional jets will initially replace the three Fokker 100s remaining in the VARA fleet.
The E2s will primarily be used in the charter market, Virgin Australia said. VARA competes in the lucrative fly-in, fly-out charter segment, serving Australia’s mining and resources industry. The carrier is based in Perth, Western Australia.
VARA announced plans to construct a new maintenance hangar at Perth Airport in April 2023, which is due to be completed late this year.
The E190-E2 has a flying range of around 6 hr. and is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1900G engines. The new-generation engine is expected to result in 30% less emissions versus the F100s, according to Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka.
VARA currently has seven Airbus A320s in its fleet in addition to the three F100s, according to Aviation Week Network's Fleet Discovery database. The F100s are 31 years old on average.
VARA operated as many as 14 F100s , peaking in December 2019, since when the fleet declined in number. The carrier was operating 10 F100s in mid-2022, six in August 2023 and four in March 2024, Fleet Discovery shows.
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