From the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow today, Airbus announced that Virgin Atlantic has placed an order for seven additional A330neos, bringing the carrier’s total commitment to the type to 19 aircraft.
On Tuesday (July 23, 2024), Airbus announced from the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) that Virgin Atlantic has placed an incremental order for seven additional Airbus A330neos to complete their fleet transformation. With the new order, the carrier has committed to a total of 19 A330neos. The order announcement was made onboard Virgin Atlantic’s A330neo named ‘Ruby Rebel’ and registered as GB-VSRB after Virgin’s Founder Sir Richard Branson, to celebrate the carrier’s 40th anniversary
In Tuesday’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO, Shai Weiss, said,
“Today, we complete our multi-billion-dollar fleet transformation, with the purchase of seven additional A330-900s, which we know our customers and our people love to fly. Flying the youngest fleet is the most readily available and significant lever towards decarbonising long-haul aviation and we are proud to already operate one of the youngest and most fuel and carbon efficient fleets across the Atlantic.
“Our special partnership with Airbus began with the arrival of ‘Lady in Red’ in 1993, with our most recent arrival, ‘Ruby Rebel’, arriving to mark our 40th birthday this year. Virgin Atlantic has flown more than 60 Airbus tails in the last three decades. While not first to the party, they’ve been our main dance partner, making our customers smile ever since.”
Also commenting on Virgin’s new A330neo order, Airbus’ Chief Executive Officer – Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer, said,
“We are grateful for Virgin Atlantic’s decision to expand its A330neo fleet as part of its strategy to have the youngest fleet across the Atlantic. The A330neo not only delivers unbeatable operational seat mile cost and an exceptional passenger experience, it also greatly enhances Virgin Atlantic’s fleet efficiency and contributes to their sustainability journey. We look forward to continuing this smooth and successful collaboration for many years to come.”
The Airbus A330neo is powered by the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, and is capable of flying 7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km) nonstop. As of June 30, 2024, the Airbus A330 Family had won 1,798 firm orders from over 130 customers worldwide, including 319 A330neos from 30 customers. Like all Airbus aircraft, the A330 Family can currently operate on 50 percent SAF, and Airbus is targeting to have all of their aircraft capable of operating on 100 percent SAF by 2030.
Source: Airbus
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