Virgin Blue signs to buy long haul trans-Pacific aircraft

Friday, 21 Mar, 2007 0

Virgin Blue takes another big step in its ambitious plans to become an international airline tomorrow when it inks a deal with Boeing for seven 777-300 extended range aircraft.

Virgin Blue MD Brett Godfrey and Boeing Australia president Craig Saddler will complete the formalities watched by Federal transport minister Mark Vaile, with the signing significant because it signals that Virgin Blue is on schedule to launch services to the US West Coast in competition with Qantas by 2008.

Virgin Blue’s choice of the B777 is another blow for Airbus, with last year Virgin going looking for “aircraft capable of operating the trans-Pacific route including the Airbus A340 and Boeing 777”.

A DJ spokesperson said, “The choice has been confirmed and it’s Boeing”.

Brett Godfrey says the regulatory approval process for the launch of transpacific services to the USA is well under way and the airline is targeting a launch date in the second half of next year.

Report by The Mole



 

profileimage

John Alwyn-Jones



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...