In a recent schedule update, Brisbane-based Virgin Australia started scheduling its new Boeing 737 Max 8 on more international services.
Additional Virgin Australia 737 Max international destinations will be Denpasar (Bali), Nadi (Fiji), and Apia (Samoa).
Boeing 737 Max 8 service will commence on 22 January on Brisbane-Denpasar, followed by Brisbane-Apia and Brisbane-Nadi from 23 January.
As Virgin Australia receives more Max aircraft, the carrier has begun scheduling them from March from other bases, including Sydney-Nadi from 4 March, Adelaide-Denpasar from 19 March, and Melbourne-Denpasar from 25 March.
The airline recently accepted its second 737 Max 8, and it currently operates these on Cairns-Haneda (Tokyo).
The Virgin Australia Max 8s come with eight recliner seats in a 2-2 configuration in business class, and 3-3 in economy class.
In addition to eight Max 8s, Virgin Australia has 25 larger Max 10s on order for delivery starting from next year.
Virgin Australia’s fleet currently comprises 85 primarily Boeing 737 aircraft, up from 58 when the airline was relaunched in November 2020.
Virgin Australia chief operations officer, Stuart Aggs, recently said that the new Max family aircraft were a critical part of the airline’s transformation, delivering not only a more comfortable experience to customers but forming the backbone of Virgin Australia’s decarbonisation ambitions.
“These new aircraft will allow us to grow capacity and support more efficient jet services,” he said.
“And importantly, they will reduce emissions by at least 15 per cent per flight compared to the 737-800 NG fleet, supporting our commitment to targeting net zero emissions by 2050.”
