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26 March 2025: The interior of Virgin Australia Group’s highly anticipated Embraer 190–E2 narrowbody jets has been unveiled, featuring a dual Business and Economy Class layout in a first for Western Australia’s charter market.
It comes as Embraer commences assembly of the first aircraft ‘Coral Bay’ this month, with four of the eight new aircraft set to be delivered to the Group’s regional business, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), within 12 months.
VARA Executive General Manager, Nathan Miller said excitement was building ahead of the first aircraft’s entry into service in October this year.
“We have opted for a dual-class layout, which actually gives us three product options when you include our extra legroom option, Economy X,” he said.
“It means we have the flexibility to use the aircraft for regular commercial operations on the days of the week when there is less charter demand and leisure traffic is higher.
“We have had very positive feedback since we announced the acquisition of these aircraft, especially as these will be the first brand-new aircraft in the WA charter market this century. Our customers are excited about the two-plus-two layout in our economy cabin, which means there are no middle seats. There is enough room in the cabin for every guest to have a bag in the overhead bin. The seats are more spacious than the outgoing Fokker 100s, which gives our guests an improved flying experience.”
All aircraft will be fitted with Virgin Australia’s high bandwidth Wi-Fi connectivity and in-flight entertainment (via a guest’s own personal device)[1], as well as in-seat power.
Mr Miller said the E2 had impressive sustainability credentials, as well as the lowest noise profile of any aircraft in its segment.
“The lower noise profile is great news for communities surrounding the airport considering many of our departures are early in the morning,” he said.
“From a sustainability perspective, the E2 is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its segment and will reduce emissions by up to 30 per cent compared to the outgoing Fokker 100s.”
Mr Miller said preparations were full steam ahead for the E2 to join the VARA fleet from later this year.
“Maintenance training for the new aircraft is underway here in Perth, and we will soon commence pilot training at Embraer’s training facility in Singapore, as well as cabin crew training,” he said.
“We have also commenced recruitment for new pilot and support roles for the E2.
“From a network and scheduling perspective, we have been planning how to best utilise the aircraft to support both charter and commercial flying. The first aircraft will operate primarily on our current charter routes and to the intra-WA commercial passenger airports we service, but there is definitely growth opportunity as the fleet grows.”
Embraer Commercial Aviation Chief Commercial Officer Martyn Holmes said: “The E190-E2 will revitalise and enhance the service Virgin Australia operates in Western Australia. The Embraer team is working closely with Virgin Australia as we gear up for the E190-E2’s entry into service in Australia.”
VARA is also planning to officially open a new hangar at Perth Airport in coming months, which will be a base for the airline’s engineering team. The business was also recognised as the world’s Best Regional Airline for the second year in a row this year according to Airline Ratings.
[1] First three aircraft to be retrofitted with Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment in early 2026.
