Virgin Australia Group has today unveiled the interior of their new Embraer E190-E2 jet, featuring a dual Business and Economy Class layout, a first for Western Australia’s charter market.
On Thursday (March 27, 2025), Virgin Australia Group unveiled the interior of their new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. The new jet features a dual Business and Economy Class layout, a first for the Western Australia charter market. This reveal comes as Embraer commences assembly of the first aircraft ‘Coral Bay’ this month, with four of the eight new aircraft to be delivered to Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) within 12 months. All of the new aircraft will be fitted with Virgin Australia’s high bandwidth Wi-Fi connectivity and inflight entertainment (via a guests personal device), as well as in-seat power.
In Thursday’s announcement, VARA’s Executive General Manager, Nathan Miller, said,
“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.”
“The lower noise profile is great news for communities surrounding the airport considering many of our departures are early in the morning. 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. 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.
“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.”
Renderings of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines' New Embraer E190-E2 and Cabin Interior - Courtesy Virgin Australia
Also commenting on the upcoming E190-E2 deliveries, Embraer Commercial Aviation’s CEO, Martyn Holmes, added,
“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.”
Additionally, VARA is planning to officially open a new hangar at Perth Airport in the coming months, which will be a base for the airline’s engineering team. This year, the airline was also recognized as the world’s Best Regional Airline for the second year in a row according to Airline Ratings.
Source: Virgin Australia