Virgin Australia’s first Embraer 190-E2 has landed at Perth, days after its delivery to the Australian operator.
The aircraft (VH-E2A) arrived on 8 September, after a five-stop journey from Embraer’s factory in Brazil. It is the first of eight E190-E2s that the airline will receive.
The E2s will be operated regional unit Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) and will replace the carrier’s fleet of older Fokker 100s, which will be fully retired by early 2026.
VARA will deploy the E2s on charter services across Western Australia from its Perth base. It has configured the E2s to seat 100 passengers in a two-class layout.
“[Its] dual-class layout – including business class, a first for Western Australia charter operations – gives the airline flexibility to operate regular passenger services when charter demand is quieter,” the carrier adds.
VARA expects to receive another three E2s this year and into 2026.
VARA executive Nick Rohrlach adds: “When it enters service next month, this aircraft will fly charter routes and also support commercial services primarily within Western Australia to destinations like Darwin, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome.
”As we build scale with the E2 fleet over time, we will be able to explore expanding its use across our national network.”
