Showing posts with label Virgin Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virgin Australia. Show all posts

27 February, 2024

Virgin Australia leadership to transition

Following on from a return to profitability in FY23 and a strong first half of FY24, Virgin Australia Holdings announces that Jayne Hrdlicka, with the Board’s support, has decided now is the time to transition on from the role of CEO.

After nearly four years of intensive work and transformation since the dual challenges of Administration and the onset of COVID-19, Jayne has decided that now is the right juncture to ensure that succession is in place to see the company through a future IPO and beyond.

The Board of Virgin Australia will shortly commence a global search process for a new CEO.


Ms Hrdlicka has led Virgin Australia as CEO since her appointment in 2020 after the airline was acquired out of Administration by Bain Capital and supported by Virgin Group during the COVID-19 pandemic and guided the business out of the unprecedented period of lockdown and back into the skies.

During this period the airline has been repositioned as a value carrier and rebuilt to deliver great choice and value to travellers while also returning the airline to profitability and a sustainable future. Our people have been the centrepiece of this period and have enabled a successful phase one to Virgin Australia’s transformation. Virgin Australia is underway in the second phase of its transformation, targeting continued growth and margin expansion that will underpin ongoing investment in its customer proposition, secure its long-term financial sustainability, and strengthen its competitive position in the Australian market.

Comments from Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka:   “I have decided the time is right for me to signal CEO transition for this great airline and ultimately to pass the baton on. This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but the last 4 years have been heavy lifting across the organisation during the toughest of times. We are in the midst of the next phase of our transformation program and there is a lot to do and an IPO to deliver. The next phase of this journey is another 3-5 years, making now the perfect juncture to begin the process of leadership transition to deliver the next few chapters of what I’m sure will be a significant long-term success story.”

I am very proud of what the Virgin Australia team has accomplished together since the depths of Administration and the COVID-19 pandemic. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to guide the team to this point on its journey, and I very much look forward to seeing the continued success of Virgin Australia.

25 August, 2023

Virgin Australia boss blames sky high fares on lack of competition....

According to reports from Down Under, the boss of the budget airline Virgin Australia is blaming the sky-high airfares in Australia firmly on the government for quashing competition in favour of national carrier Qantas. 

Jayne Hrdlicka released a video to staff commentating on the Australian government's decision not to allow the Doha-based Qatar Airways to operate more flights to and from Australia to help keep pace with demand.    

The video was leaked to Daily Mail Australia and shows Hrdlicka telling employees that the ban makes no sense and that restricting the number of international flights was pushing up the price of flights, which in some cases are now double.

The Australian economy was also being detrimentally affected by the decision as fewer tourists are returning to Australia due to the high fares and lack of capacity,  Hrdlicka contested in the video. 

Qatar's ability to easily operate extra flights would dramatically improve the situation but the request had been rejected by the federal government meaning bad news for Australia and Virgin Australia - a service partner of Qatar Airways. 

Australia's transport minister Catherine Knight denied the request from Qatar Airways to operate 28 additional flights, claiming in Parliament it was 'not in the national interest'.

Yet it follows from the news that Qantas boss Alan Joyce voiced his opposition to the move to his friend the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It was then that the cabinet blocked it according to some reports.

Relations of Anthony Albanese have recently received free hospitality from the national airline, including the PM's son Nathan and girlfriend Jodie Haydon given free membership of the Qantas Chairman's Lounge.

Qantas' Joyce defended the airline's complete opposition to Qatar's request saying 'What we said when it came to Qatar...was there shouldn’t be rights granted when there’s a huge amount of capacity being put back into the market".  Qantas has just announced a multi-million dollar order for more long-haul jets from Boeing and recently reported a profit of  $2.5 billion whilst a number of staff have had to take second jobs to supplement their income.  

Qantas' service partner is the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, which hasn't had any capacity requests turned down by the Australian government.   

30 June, 2023

Virgin Australia takes delivery of new Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft


A new era is coming for Virgin Australia as it has taken delivery of the first of its new aircraft, the latest in the Boeing 737 MAX family. The first aircraft was flown by a specialist Virgin Australia flight crew from Seattle, Washington, to the airline’s hometown of Brisbane.

The 737-8 aircraft is quieter and offers an even better experience for customers, with next-generation seats that feature device holders and in-seat power. It is also at least 15% more fuel efficient per flight compared to the 737-800 NG fleet.

Chief Operations Officer Stuart Aggs said that the new aircraft support Virgin Australia’s commitment to targeting net zero emissions by 2050. He explained: “While our approach to decarbonisation is multi-faceted, fleet modernisation is a critical part of progressing our sustainability ambitions and represents a significant opportunity to reduce our emissions intensity in the near-term.

“We expect our fleet renewal program, combined with other fuel efficiency initiatives, to support over 80 per cent of our 2030 interim target to reduce Virgin Australia’s carbon emission intensity by 22 per cent.”

The 33 new aircraft that will join the Virgin Australia fleet over the next five years, complementing its simplified 737 fleet, which is already one of the youngest commercial fleets in Australia.

This new aircraft is called Monkey Mia – following Virgin Australia’s tradition of naming its aircraft after Australian bodies of water. It will fly the airline’s new Cairns to Haneda route, which also launched this week.


22 February, 2023

United and Virgin Australia to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride on Flight from San Francisco to Sydney

United Airlines is partnering with Virgin Australia to connect U.S. travellers to the world's largest celebration of Pride in Sydney with a special flight staffed entirely by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Departing on Wednesday, February 22 from San Francisco International Airport, the festivities will kick off with a celebration at the gate, continue with giveaways and activities onboard the flight and culminate with a welcome party upon arrival in Sydney. While Virgin Australia has offered special domestic flights in Australia for Pride since 2021, this is the first time United is joining this effort.

"As a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community and the leading carrier from the U.S. to Australia, United is thrilled to join the party and help people celebrate the upcoming Pride events in Sydney," said Lori Augustine, Vice President of Operations for United in San Francisco. "At United, we recognize, embrace and celebrate the differences that make our customers and employees unique. We're committed to creating an inclusive work environment while supporting the diverse communities we serve. Our Pride Flight is yet another example of how at United, Good Leads the Way."

"Virgin Australia launched our initial Pride Flight in the middle of the pandemic and fast forward to today, we have flights all over Australia, and our very first international Pride Flight from San Francisco with our wonderful partner, United Airlines," said Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO for Virgin Australia Group. "It's so important that we use our voice to promote diversity and inclusion in the communities in which we live, work and fly. Our partnership with United Airlines is incredibly important and it's so wonderful to witness the collaboration between the airlines, and the joy we have brought our guests in spreading pride right across the Pacific and throughout Australia."

26 October, 2022

Middle Seat Lottery started by Virgin Australia

Photo Virgin Australia
Turning the middle seat into a winning feat.... Photo Virgin Australia. 

Virgin Australia has launched a new innovation, the Middle Seat Lottery, as part of its Bring on Wonderful campaign. 

Bring on Wonderful the carrier claims is aimed at elevating every part of the customer journey when flying with Virgin Australia, starting with the middle seat which, according to the airline has been a bugbear for travellers since the dawn of aviation. 

The Middle Seat Lottery turns Virgin Australia's middle seats into wonderful lottery tickets with more than $230,000 worth of prizes up for grabs throughout the competition which is exclusively for people who either select or are assigned a middle seat when flying with Virgin Australia.

Prizes on offer include: 

Platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer Status plus one million Points.
A cruise in the Caribbean with Virgin Voyages, including return Premium Economy flights to the USA with United Airlines.
Flights and tickets to your AFL team’s away games in 2023.
Flights to Melbourne plus entry to the AFL ‘Before the Bounce’ pre-game lunch, AFL Grand Final seats, a pre-game boundary line experience, merchandise and entry to the AFL Grand Final after party.
A helicopter pub crawl extravaganza, including return flights to Darwin.
Cairns adventure package including accommodation, return flights, and a range of thrilling adventures - Bungy jumping, giant swinging, river rafting or tubing in the great Barron River.


For each week of the competition, one winner will be randomly selected from guests who enter the Middle Seat Lottery.

How to enter the Middle Seat Lottery....
Be a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, aged 18 years or older;
Fly in any middle seat on a Virgin Australia-operated domestic flight by Sunday 23 April 2023;
Open the Virgin Australia app and tap the Middle Seat Lottery tile to find your flight and enter your details. Entrants must enter the competition within 48 hours of their flight’s scheduled departure time.


Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline was entering a new era with the mission of creating unique, uplifting and industry-leading experiences that take flying out of the mundane and into the wonderful.  "We are proud of the journey we’ve been on over the last 24-months, with many achievements and learnings that have formed our ambitions for the future of Virgin Australia, our people and our guests.

Virgin Australia is an airline that’s doing things differently and we are having a lot of fun coming up with exciting new innovations to make every part of the travel experience more wonderful.

This year alone we have launched new partnerships with Betty’s Burgers, Boost Juice, Myer and P.E Nation along with Qatar Airways and United Airlines and now we’re giving our loyal guests the opportunity to win from a prize pool valued at over $230,000 for simply sitting in a middle seat."



See the airline's website for details, terms and conditions.




Virgin Australia Selects Intelsat for Inflight Wi-Fi

Intelsat, the operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), announced today that it has been selected to provide high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi to Virgin Australia’s fleet of existing 737NG aircraft and future-delivery 737 MAX aircraft.

Intelsat’s 2Ku satellite connectivity solution will deliver industry-leading speeds to support video streaming, web browsing, and anything else Virgin’s guests want to do with Wi-Fi-enabled devices onboard their flights.

A recent survey of Virgin Australia customers indicated Wi-Fi connectivity was an important part of travel for one in three leisure travellers and almost half of the business passengers.

“We are laser-focused on creating great travel experiences for our guests when they fly with Virgin Australia,” said Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones. “We also listened to our guests, and overwhelmingly they told us that Wi-Fi was important to them.”

The popular inflight feature will be complimentary for the airline’s Business Class guests and Beyond and Velocity Platinum members. For all other guests, Wi-Fi access will be available for a nominal fee.

“We’re going to deliver a streaming-quality, always-on, reliable inflight internet product onboard Virginia Australia’s fleet of 737 aircraft,” said Dave Bijur, SVP of Intelsat Commercial Aviation. “We’re adding 737MAX aircraft for the first time with Virgin Australia, and they’ve made a technology decision that expands our relationship and will delight their guests.”

The 2Ku antennas that facilitate the IFC system will be installed gradually over 18 months on more than half of the airline’s fleet starting mid-December 2023.







25 August, 2022

Virgin Australia to offer fast track at Brisbane and Melbourne airports and orders 4 more 737 MAX 8 jets

The Virgin Australia Group is expanding its 737 MAX fleet with four additional MAX 8s to join the firm to cope with increased demand. First delivery of the additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is expected in 2023.

Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said “Despite the challenges faced by our industry, demand for travel remains strong and we’re responding with a focus on the long-term by increasing the efficiency and sustainability of our fleet with four additional Boeing MAX 8s joining our fleet from 2023.

The airline has also arranged as part of a long-term partnership with global aviation training provider CAE.for priority access to a Boeing 737NG full-flight simulator that will be deployed in Jandakot, near Perth.


Hrdlicka said: “I’m also thrilled today to announce a long-term partnership with world-class aviation training provider CAE, who will deploy a 737NG full-flight simulator for Virgin Australia at their training centre in Jandakot, near Perth.  Demand for 737NG simulator training is at extraordinary levels globally and securing this capacity at home is an enormous benefit to both Virgin Australia, and our pilots undergoing training.

“Today is a great day for our pilots and for Perth. The continued focus on investment in people, aircraft and infrastructure is important to our business and the added activity in Perth will be great for many of our existing partners in Western Australia. 

“This means our Western Australian pilots will have the opportunity to be trained at their home base, saving them travel time to and from the East Coast or further, while providing significant cost savings to the business and driving efficiency in our training program.

“This is the first time we will have a simulator outside of Queensland or Victoria, and while Virgin Australia’s home will always be in the Sunshine State, it demonstrates the growth and importance of our business in Western Australia and of the state to Virgin Australia.”



Air Models have a range of aircraft models, including some special 737 MAX models, including this one in the colours of flydubai.  

Other airlines featured include Air ChinaXiamen Air and China Southern 


In another move forward, Virgin Australia has also announced that Brisbane and Melbourne airports will now feature fast track security facilities for eligible Virgin Australia customers, with the airline re-opening Premium Entry in Brisbane and a Priority Screening lane at Melbourne Airport.

The premium security experience, reserved for Velocity Frequent Flyer Platinum, Gold and Beyond members, Virgin Australia Business Class guests, and eligible high tier guests of the airline’s renowned international airline partners, will open between 5.00am and 10.00am weekdays, allowing guests to swiftly move through both airports.





24 August, 2022

Virgin Australia expands Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet

The Virgin Australia Group is expanding its 737 MAX fleet with four additional MAX 8s to join the firm to cope with increased demand. First delivery of the additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is expected in 2023.

Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said “Despite the challenges faced by our industry, demand for travel remains strong and we’re responding with a focus on the long-term by increasing the efficiency and sustainability of our fleet with four additional Boeing MAX 8s joining our fleet from 2023.

The airline has also arranged as part of a long-term partnership with global aviation training provider CAE.for priority access to a Boeing 737NG full-flight simulator that will be deployed in Jandakot, near Perth.

Hrdlicka said: “I’m also thrilled today to announce a long-term partnership with world-class aviation training provider CAE, who will deploy a 737NG full-flight simulator for Virgin Australia at their training centre in Jandakot, near Perth.  Demand for 737NG simulator training is at extraordinary levels globally and securing this capacity at home is an enormous benefit to both Virgin Australia, and our pilots undergoing training.

“Today is a great day for our pilots and for Perth. The continued focus on investment in people, aircraft and infrastructure is important to our business and the added activity in Perth will be great for many of our existing partners in Western Australia. 

“This means our Western Australian pilots will have the opportunity to be trained at their home base, saving them travel time to and from the East Coast or further, while providing significant cost savings to the business and driving efficiency in our training program.

“This is the first time we will have a simulator outside of Queensland or Victoria, and while Virgin Australia’s home will always be in the Sunshine State, it demonstrates the growth and importance of our business in Western Australia and of the state to Virgin Australia.”



Air Models have a range of aircraft models, including some special 737 MAX models, including this one in the colours of flydubai.  

Other airlines featured include Air ChinaXiamen Air and China Southern 


In another move forward, Virgin Australia has also announced that Brisbane and Melbourne airports will now feature fast track security facilities for eligible Virgin Australia customers, with the airline re-opening Premium Entry in Brisbane and a Priority Screening lane at Melbourne Airport.

The premium security experience, reserved for Velocity Frequent Flyer Platinum, Gold and Beyond members, Virgin Australia Business Class guests, and eligible high tier guests of the airline’s renowned international airline partners, will open between 5.00am and 10.00am weekdays, allowing guests to swiftly move through both airports.





29 April, 2022

Virgin Australia to buy four Boeing 737 MAX jets for fleet expansion and phase out Fokker F100s.....


Virgin Australia Group has confirmed today that it is going to add four new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to its fleet as part of its renewal programme that will also see it phase out Fokker F100 aircraft. The airline says these new 737 MAX 8 aircraft will start to enter service in February next year.
 
Since its re-launch, in November 2020 the Virgin Australia Group issued plans to grow its 737 fleet by over 50%, from 58 to 88 planes. Currently, the airline flies operates a fleet of 10 Fokker F100 aircraft across its operations in Western Australia, these ageing aircraft will be gradually transitioned out and replaced by 737-700s from the first quarter of 2023.  

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the fleet renewal programme is part of a broader growth strategy,  "We are on track to return to 100% of pre-COVID domestic capacity by June this year and expect to well exceed those levels by year’s end, and our resources sector and contract flying in WA is in high demand. This investment in our fleet reflects the increased demand we are experiencing in all parts of Virgin Australia."

A future phase of the carrier's development will see it acquire an additional 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft which will transport more passengers for a similar amount of fuel to the current 737 NG aircraft.

Hrdlicka said: "We have a younger average fleet age than other airlines operating in the Australian market and we are in a good position to phase out our older F100 aircraft for more fuel-efficient options.  Equipping our WA operation with more modern and efficient 737 aircraft positions us to grow and to better compete in the resources sector and contract flying market across Australia.  It also enables Virgin Australia to improve fleet utilisation across the Group. 

Existing F100 flight and cabin crew, VARA engineering and support staff and corporate and operations functions will be progressively trained to operate and maintain a 737 NG fleet, both as F100 aircraft are retired and as the airline continues to grow its WA resources sector and contract flying business."  

In addition to its 737 fleet, Virgin Australia Group will also continue to operate Airbus A320 aircraft as part of its resources sector and contract flying operations. 







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15 December, 2021

New commercial tie-up for Virgin Australia and United.


Reaching down under, United's new commercial arrangements with Virgin Australia will open up the two nations like never before. The U.S. mega carrier now offers more flights to Australia than any other American carrier.

"The United States and Australia share a special bond and I'm especially proud that United was the only airline to maintain a vital link between these two countries throughout the pandemic," said United CEO Scott Kirby. "Looking ahead, Virgin Australia is the perfect partner for United. Our partnership provides considerable commercial value for both airlines and a shared commitment to offer the best travel experience for our customers."

United currently offers daily direct flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Sydney, while other services including flights from Houston and direct services to Melbourne are expected to resume later in 2022. Under this new partnership, United's customers will now have access to top Australian destinations including Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

In addition to the ability to redeem and earn points/miles, eligible premier MileagePlus and Velocity members will also receive the following benefits when flying on United and Virgin Australia worldwide:

Priority check-in
Priority boarding
Priority baggage delivery and additional baggage check allowance
Priority security clearance
Lounge access

The partnership will also triple Virgin Australia's reach into the U.S., with customers accessing United's vast domestic and international network, connecting at United's multiple Australian gateways.

The partnership is another significant customer enhancement for the relaunched Virgin Australia, that will also see the airline resume the sale of codeshare flights at virginaustralia.com, starting with United services in early 2022, followed by the airline's other international partners. Virgin Australia first paused the sale of codeshare flights on its website at the height of the pandemic, and today's announcement will open a new gateway for travel between Australia and the U.S. and beyond.

"We are grateful to have such a strong partner in United," said Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka. "They have proudly been one of Australia's most loyal and long serving aviation partners and their market strength both to Australia and in the United States brings great value to our guests. We look forward to innovating together on behalf of our guests to ensure they have the very best travel experiences to over 90 destinations in the U.S."




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07 August, 2020

Virgin Australia resumes services to Hamilton Island

Virgin Australia has restarted services between Brisbane and Hamilton Island as Queenslanders continue to support the state’s key leisure destinations.

Operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the three weekly return services between Queensland’s capital and Hamilton Island will add approximately 4,500 seats to the market each month.

Virgin Australia Chief Commercial Officer, John MacLeod, said Virgin Australia is delighted to provide more competition for travellers visiting the Whitsundays.

“Queenslanders are supporting our flights to key Queensland leisure destinations and we’re really pleased to further ramp-up our schedule to include regular services to Hamilton Island,” said Mr MacLeod

06 August, 2020

The Virgin Australia Group's future as an iconic Australian airline

Virgin Australia rebirth 

The Virgin Australia Group has just announced its rebirth plan for a stronger, more profitable and competitive business, as it prepares to exit voluntary administration under the ownership of Bain Capital.

They want to re-establish the carrier as an iconic Australian airline, part of the process for that will be transforming to an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet for domestic and short-haul operations.  Whilst Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) will continue to operate other types of aircraft for long-haul/charter flights. Long-haul routes to LAX and TKO are suspended indefinitely and whilst longer flights would be key to the airline's development in future,  at the moment there isn't the demand or money. 

Budget offering Tigerair will be disbanded and the airline will consolidate its head office functions all in one location in Brisbane. 

The move to an all Boeing 737 fleet means that just over 3000 jobs will be lost, but the carrier thinks this move will save about 6000 jobs directly and thousands more indirectly. 

A key cost-cutting review will take place from top to bottom as it looks at products, services and facilities to better align with the company’s future size and requirements and lowering costs significantly.

03 June, 2020

Virgin Australia - final two bidders named.

Photo Brisbane Airport
According to the administrators of Virgin Australia, there are two groups in the final bidding process for the company. Deloitte said they had selected Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners from five non-binding proposals it had received on Friday.  It was now seeking a binding agreement with the winning bidder by June 30.

Bain, owns Trans Maldivian Airways and is taking advice from the former head of Jetstar, the Qantas budget operation, Jayne Hrdlicka.

Whereas Cyrus has a history with Virgin and Richard Branson, they were heavily invested in Virgin America, before it had to be sold to Alaska Airlines to avoid bankruptcy.  It was also part of the group along with Branson's Virgin Atlantic that took over flybe and failed to put enough money in to the regional airline which then collapsed.

The next phase will include further engagement with stakeholders and aircraft financiers as they seek agreements on future terms before binding bids are received. Virgin owed nearly A$7 billion ($4.76 billion) to creditors when it entered voluntary administration in April.









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21 April, 2020

Deloitte are looking for a buyer for Virgin Australia.......would you take on a company saddled with over 5 billions worth of debt ?

Photo Brisbane Airport
As we predicted yesterday the Virgin Australia Group has announced that it has appointed voluntary administrators to recapitalise the business and help ensure it emerges in a stronger financial position on the other side of the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. 

Velocity Frequent Flyer, while owned by the Group, is a separate company and is not in administration. 

The airline is still operating all its temporary scheduled flight timetable which are helping to transport essential workers, maintain important freight corridors, and return Australians home. 

The intention of the administrators is to undertake a process to restructure and re-finance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible.  Currently, the airline is owned by a mix of foreign companies, spread between (20.9%) Etihad Airways, (20%) Singapore Airlines, (19.8%) HNA Group, (19.9%) Nanshan Group and (10.4%) Virgin Group.  All of which had previously been asked to contribute more to save the carrier,  yet no significant investment was forthcoming and administration was sought. 

Administrators at Deloitte, are now in control of the airline and will make an attempt to restructure the firm.  So far, Deloitte has confirmed that more than 10 other entities have expressed an interest in taking over the debt-riddled airline, yet none have been named at this stage and no company has announced they want to buy it.

Virgin Australia which had just days ago celebrated its 20-year anniversary, has furloughed 80% of its 10,000 workers had been seeking a rescue package from the Australian government, in the form or a loan in exchange for equity.  No loan was forthcoming and the firm's management decided to call in Deloitte.  One of the administrators, Vaughan Strawbridge, told local media that at this stage they don't plan on letting any staff go, or changing the current operations of the carrier.  He also said that the situation would be resolved one way or another within one or two months.

"Generally you get the best outcome where you sell it as a whole, so that is definitely the preferred approach," he said,  adding: "There were “a number of very sophisticated parties who have got the capability to be part of the restructure,"  

In its current form, Virgin Australia hasn't made a profit for around 7 years and really seems to have lost its way from the grand fanfare of its launch and the promise in the early years. Its main rival, the much bigger Qantas has been offering an arguably better combination of fares and service on many routes on the domestic market which has seen it grow.  Virgin Australia tried to grow but lacked the financial strength behind it and further perhaps less than sensible business decisions have lead the company to the very brink of survival.  With fresh management,  a new owner - perhaps one from outside the airline industry that isn't financially crippled by their own battle for survival during these trouble times is the best way forward for Virgin Australia.  But regardless of the carriers ultimate fate,  the "Virgin Australia brand"  is dead,  a new name,  a new start and a fresh approach is desperately needed. 












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20 April, 2020

Virgin Australia on the verge of administration


Virgin Australia ready to go into 

voluntary administration!


Virgin Australia grounded aircraft ay Brisbane Photo Brisbane Airport
Like many airlines around the world, Virgin Australia has been finding things a little difficult, to say the least during the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis.  It had been in long talks with the Australian government over a massive bailout which would have saved the widely well-respected budget carrier. 
The airline's board met on Monday evening to decide the future of the cash-starved operation, topping the agenda was placing the company in voluntary administration. It is expected CEO Paul Scurrah will confirm the decision in a few hours time and that the airline will be put in the hands of Deloitte who will try to restructure an estimated AUD$ 5 billion's worth of debts and appease creditors to allow the airline to continue to fly. 
It's understood that every one of its investors have been asked to contribute more to the airline, but none are either in a position to either do or want to.  The firm is owned by  (20.9%) Etihad Airways, (20%) Singapore Airlines, (19.8%) HNA Group, (19.9%) Nanshan Group and (10.4%) Virgin Group.  
Photo Virgin Australia





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13 April, 2020

Government in talks with Virgin Australia as it looks to keep two airlines flying after Coronavirus COVID-19

Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd and the Australian government are in negotiations regarding a future role for the budget carrier after the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Whilst it remains unclear how long the crisis will last,  it is being reported locally that an international flight embargo will last at least until the end of this year.  However, it is expected that interstate travel will be allowed in a few months as the number of new infections decreases. 

“We want a two-airline sector coming out of this,” Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said in an interview on Sky News. “We will continue to look at the situation.” The government has already pledged A$715 million / US$454 million to the aviation sector, which has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. 

Restrictions imposed by the government are said to be costing the tourism industry about A$4 billion in lost business from international visitors and around A$5 billion from domestic travellers each month, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing the Tourism and Transport Forum. Virgin Australia has asked the government for an A$1.4 billion loan to cope with the shutdown.





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16 November, 2019

Hard landing for Virgin Australia ATR


A Virgin Australia ATR 72-212 operating flight VA646 suffered a heavy landing on 10 November 2017 because the crew failed to adhere to standard operating procedures, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has concluded.


The ATR 72-212, registration VH-FVZ suffered a reasonable amount of damage in the landing and subsequently needed repairs to fuselage sections and drain deflector.  There were three crew members on the flight deck at the time of the incident, a first officer, a captain and a check/training captain who was performing evaluations on the other two crew members during a busy day of flights. 

23 December, 2018

Flame-outs in both engines of a Virgin Australia ATR72 investigated.

A Virgin Australia ATR72-600 seems to have suffered flameouts in both engines' although non-simultaneously on December 13th this year. The aircraft, registration VH-FVN, was operating the Sydney-Canberra route on 13 December during heavy rain the incident took place.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)  said it is investigating the 'serious' incident occurred  "While the aircraft was descending through 11,000ft in heavy rain, the right engine’s power rolled back (decreased) and the engine flamed out." the ATSB said.

© Chen Wanping
"The engine automatically re-started within five seconds. The descent continued and, while passing through 10,000 ft, the left engine’s power also rolled back and that engine flamed out before automatically relighting. The crew selected manual engine ignition for the remainder of the flight and the landing." According to the ATSB.

The remainder of the flight was uneventful and there were no reports of injuries to anyone on the aircraft, the investigation is ongoing. 
-

12 October, 2018

Virgin Australia customers will be able to use voice check-in from next week

Virgin Australia has announced earlier this week that it will become the first airline outside North America to launch voice check-in through Amazon Alexa, allowing passengers to check-in to their flight with the power of their voice.

From next week, passengers who have linked their Velocity membership to Alexa can say, “Alexa, ask Virgin Australia to check me in” enabling a seamless start to their journey with Virgin Australia. Guests will then be sent their boarding passes to a nominated mobile number.

11 September, 2018

Virgin Australia leads Australian first with delivery of sustainable aviation fuel at Brisbane Airport


One of the leading Antipodean air carriers, Virgin Australia announced it has achieved an Australian first, with the successful completion of a trial to deliver sustainable aviation fuel through Brisbane Airport’s general fuel supply system.

Working in partnership with the Queensland Government, Brisbane Airport Corporation, US-based biofuel producer Gevo, Inc. and supply chain partners Caltex and DB Schenker, Virgin Australia led the procurement and blending of sustainable aviation fuel, or biojet, with traditional jet fuel for supply into the fuel infrastructure at Brisbane Airport.

This is the first time that sustainable aviation fuel has been delivered through the general fuel supply system at any airport in Australia and makes Brisbane Airport one of the few airports globally where this has occurred.  

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