Virgin Australia aims to launch new Asian service in 2018

Virgin Australia is working to secure slots that would allow it to launch a new Asian destination in 2018. CE John Borghetti says the airline is keen to add a second Asian route in addition to its Melbourne-Hong Kong services. “We’ve got the aircraft, we’re just missing slots and we’re just working on that,” he says. ”I’d like to think that by this time next year we will have slots.” Borghetti would not be drawn into discussing which cities the airline is looking at, although it already holds rights to fly daily services to mainland China from Australia’s major cities. Previously, he has pointed to the shortage of slots at Beijing Capital International and Shanghai Pudong International airports as factors that have stopped it from moving ahead with launching China services. <br/>