Virgin Australia intends to almost double its Boeing MAX 8 fleet by adding another six aircraft to the fleet. The carrier had planned to induct eight MAX 8s, but this will now grow to 14 aircraft. All deliveries are scheduled for next year, with the latest six arriving in HY2.
Virgin Australia hasn’t said if this is a direct order or a lease, but the latter seems the most obvious. The first two MAX 8s have been leased from China Aircraft Leasing Corporation (CALC) since June. The third aircraft arrived from Renton in Brisbane on Friday. CALC announced in August that it would sell its backlog of 64 MAX orders
to Dubai-based lessor DAE. This transaction has been completed in Q3. It is therefore likely that Virgin Australia will source the aircraft from DAE now.
It is the second time that Virgin Australia has ordered additional MAX 8s. The airline said in April 2022 that it would order four aircraft for delivery from February 2023, but the first delivery slipped to June. In August 2022, VA announced an order for another four MAX 8s for delivery in HY2 of 2023. The rework required by Boeing to fix the vertical tailfin fittings and aft pressure bulkhead issues has delayed deliveries to many customers.
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