Virgin Blue shows off its new Brazilian – TravelMole Exclusive

With Virgin Blue announcing Canberra-Sydney as the first of a number of new Australian routes it will operate with its 20 brand new Embraer jets, the first arrived last week in Australia [Pictured above: The Embraer 170 arrives in Sydney].

In a TravelMole exclusive, The Mole did not pass up on the opportunity of checking out this very smart new aircraft, when it arrived in Sydney on its way to Canberra [unfortunately, although invited by Virgin Blue to fly to Canberra on the E Jet for the event, The Mole could not go due to prior commitments!] where the E Jet was unveiled at a joy flight and Gala Black tie dinner for some of the country’s political, diplomatic and corporate leaders.

The event also coinciding with the official opening of Virgin Blue’s new corporate The Lounge facility at Canberra Airport.

Stephan Pichler Chief Commercial Officer of Virgin Blue [Pictured right with Keith Neate, Virgin Blue CFO on the left and Scott Roworth, Manager of the E Jet programme, behind], told The Mole on aboard the Embraer that the E Jet offered the company considerably more flexibility than previously, in particular in the secondary markets, where the 737 doesn’t work.

He added that the E Jet gives Virgin Blue a second platform, making the airline even more competitive, saying, “We compete against Qantas, not Jetstar, or Tiger Airways and our launching the E Jet on the Sydney-Canberra route is a very significant move.”

The 20 Embraer aircraft will join Virgin Blue’s existing fleet of 55 Boeing 737 aircraft, marking a carefully considered move away from the single fleet strategy for the first time in the airline’s seven year history, with the deal worth more than A$850-million and is the largest single trade deal Australia has ever struck with Brazil.

The inclusion of the 78-seat Embraer 170 and the 104-seat Embraer 190 will provide Virgin Blue with additional capacity, the ability to fly to new regional destinations and the flexibility to tailor aircraft to suit specific routes in terms of frequency and capacity requirements in peaks and troughs.

It will also provide travellers with one of the most technologically advanced, efficient and comfortable jet aircraft in the world.

Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, heralded the arrival of the E-Jet as a new and exciting era for Virgin Blue saying, “We have spent the past four years investigating aircraft options to give us maximum efficiency, economies of scale and the ability to venture in to new markets currently serviced by turbo-props.”

“We are confident the E-Jet is the perfect aircraft to deliver on all fronts both now and in to the future.”

He continued, “The E-Jet is particularly ideal for markets that require high frequency for corporate and Government Guests which is why I am pleased to announce that Virgin Blue has made the Canberra-Sydney route a priority and will re-enter the market with 108 flights a week, 8 direct daily flights on weekdays.” “The Virgin Blue flights will operate under the name “Capital Jet”.

The new Canberra-Sydney “Capital Jet” flights will begin on 4 February 2008 to coincide with the return of corporate and Government travellers back from Christmas break, with fares starting from $99* one-way on the Internet and are now on sale.

The additional Canberra-Sydney E-Jet flights double the number of Virgin Blue flights in and out of Canberra……….for fare terms and conditions see http://www.virginblue.com.au/

Virgin Blue is also set to announce other new regional destinations within the next few weeks following visits by validation teams over the recent months to ascertain airport suitability and capability to support potential Virgin Blue services.

Orlando Neto, Managing Director of Embraer Asia Pacific, was equally thrilled by the arrival of the E-Jet in Australia, saying, “Virgin Blue is a world-class airline and Australia is a very sophisticated aviation market.” “Virgin Blue is known for setting new standards and we are very excited to be making this first delivery to the airline.” “The mixed fleet of Embraer 170 and Embraer 190 E-Jets provides a perfect match for Virgin Blue’s supply and demand by extending their reach in the region and providing flexibility on seat densities.”

He added, “Embraer is committed to supplying comprehensive support to ensure the smooth operation of the new fleet.” “This includes spare parts logistics and special programs support, as well as initial training for the airline’s pilots at the newly-launched, state-of-the-art simulator training facilities in Singapore.”

The Embraer jet aircraft have a seating capacity of 78 in the Embraer 170 and 104 in the Embraer 190 and boasts state of the art fly-by-wire cockpit technology.

The Mole was very impressed with the leather seats, which have very generous width and seat pitch, the sleek cabin design and a quiet, smooth ride, which considering that the aircraft will be operating on a number of routes on which other airlines operate turbo prop aircraft, will give Virgin Blue a considerable edge.

Two more E-Jets will be delivered to Virgin Blue before the end of the year, with the entire 20 scheduled for delivery by second quarter 2009.

The mix of the firm order is for 6 Embraer 170 and 14 Embraer 190 E-Jets.

Exclusive Report by The Mole on board the Embraer 170 at Sydney Airport