Virgin’s new jet for Cairns

“Secondly, by focusing on routes that are performing very well, we’re also taking decisive action by going where the demand is and, in turn, setting Bonza up for the long haul because competition in the airline industry is a good thing and the demand for Bonza is clear.”

Ms Povey said by stabilising reliability, the airline would then move forward with growth plans which included establishing a third base and new routes to existing and new destinations after the introduction of additional aircraft.

“Very soon we will be on sale with our late October 2023 to April 2024 schedule which means travellers can book flights for their summer holidays, Christmas or Easter 2024,” she said.

Ms Povey said customers booked on axed routes (from August 1 to October 28) would be contacted by the airline via SMS and would automatically receive a full refund or alternate flights with Bonza, depending on their scenario. “To those customers who have or will face a cancelled flight – we apologise,” she said. “Please wait for our team to contact you.” l AEROGLEN

| Nick Dalton

VIRGIN Australia is to start operating its new, more fuelefficient and quieter Boeing 737-8 on the Cairns to Tokyo route from July 30.

The airline launched the new daily flights on June 28 with older aircraft.

The new plane is one of 33 fuel-efficient Boeing 7378 and 737-10 aircraft Virgin Australia has on order, with more aircraft set to be delivered in coming months.

With the arrival of the Boeing 737-8, Virgin Australia has also revealed its highly anticipated new business class and economy cabin interior as well as confirming plans to refresh the interior cabins on the airline’s remaining Boeing fleet, as part of an investment of about $110 million featuring in-seat power for all seats, in-flight Wi-Fi to majority of aircraft and more overhead locker space.

Virgin Australia Group chief executive officer Jayne Hrdlicka said “sustainability is so important for the future of the airline industry globally and fleet renewal is a major step in reducing carbon emissions intensity.”

“We anticipate our fleet renewal program, together with other fuel efficiency initiatives, will support over 80 per cent of our 2030 interim target to reduce Virgin Australia’s carbon emission intensity by 22 per cent,” she said.

Virgin Australia Group chief customer and digital officer Paul Jones said: “If you look at the business community, what matters most to them outside of network schedule is in-seat power and in-flight Wi-Fi. There’s also a huge number of customers who fly with us for leisure who value in-seat power for a different reason – powering devices to keep their kids entertained, or streaming and bingeing on the latest must-see shows."