VIRGIN Australia (VA) has announced a series of changes to its Boeing 737 MAX order, which will see the carrier deferring the delivery of its first 737 MAX aircraft from Nov 2019 to Jul 2021 (TD breaking news).
The Group has restructured its order book to convert 15 of its originally ordered MAX 8 planes with the upcoming MAX 10s.
“Safety is always the number one priority for Virgin Australia…as we have previously stated, we will not introduce any new aircraft to the fleet unless we are completely satisfied with its safety,” said Paul Scurrah, Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
“We are confident in Boeing’s commitment to returning the 737 MAX to service safely and as a long-term partner of Boeing, we will be working with them through this process.”
According to Scurrah, the revised timing for the delivery of the aircraft will result in a number of positive benefits for the group, including “a significant deferral of capital expenditure by extending the use of existing aircraft given the relatively young age of our fleet”, while providing the Group earlier access to the operational economics of the MAX 10.
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia will take delivery of its first MAX 8 aircraft in 2025.
Source: traveldaily