Flying will be ‘irresistible,’ says new Virgin Australia CEO who predicts a summer travel surge

Virgin Australia’s newly installed CEO has said it will be “irresistible” to fly again, as the airline aims to regain market share under new ownership. Jayne Hrdlicka said Wednesday that the company was well-placed to take a third of the domestic market, reinstating it to pre-Covid levels as travel within the country resumes. “We’re three weeks under new ownership, we’ve got the strongest balance sheet of any airline in the country right now, and by the time we get to January ... we fully intend to be roughly a third of the domestic market. That’s what we were pre-Covid,” Hrdlicka said. Hrdlicka is the former boss of budget carrier Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas. She was named as successor to Paul Scurrah in October, as part of a strategy by new owners Bain Capital to save the flailing airline after it went into voluntary administration in April. Her installation coincides with the start of the summer season in Australia, which has largely reopened its domestic borders amid falling coronavirus cases. “It will be irresistible to fly again,” said Hrdlicka. “We’re in a great spot as a country now. We’re able to get out, spend time with other people, and we can travel.” <br/>