CANBERRA: Virgin Australia Holdings will deploy its widebody A330 aircraft on flights between Sydney and Nadi, Fiji during peak periods for the first time from next month as it looks to turn around its ailing international division.
Virgin’s A330 aircraft have 24 angled lie-flat business seats, which from mid-year will be replaced by fully flat beds, all with aisle access. That will triple the number of premium seats available when it operates the flights, in place of the usual Boeing 737, on Saturdays during peak periods in April, June to October and select days over the Christmas and New Year period.
The airline said it would also introduce the A330, until now used exclusively on trans-continental flights, to flights between Sydney and Melbourne during select morning weekday peak periods as well as for international sporting events when there are peaks in demand during short periods.
Virgin said there would be no impact on its existing A330 transcontinental services. Virgin already uses 737s on some Saturday services between Perth and Sydney and Melbourne due to lower demand and the Fiji flights will allow the airline to bring in greater revenue by operating the A330s for more hours.
At the time the results were announced, Mr Borghetti said Virgin would take several steps to help turn around its international division, including altering the timings and frequencies of flights to Bali, adding business class on trans-Tasman and Pacific Island routes, integrating the management of its New Zealand operations into the rest of the international business and introducing new business class suites on its long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft. Qantas has helped to turn around the performance of its international division in part by operating its aircraft for more hours a day to earn additional revenue.
