Virgin Australia CEO flags international network expansion

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has indicated an expansion of the airline's small international footprint may be on the cards ahead of a possible IPO in 2023. "We’re looking at a world of possibilities and extending our reach,” Hrdlicka said during the Flight Centre Illuminate conference in Sydney on October 20. “We’re very focused on our B737 aircraft footprint. We’ve got B737-700s and -800s, and we’ve got MAX-8 and 10s coming into the fleet that gives us a bit more range, and so we will be adding to the network.” Virgin Australia's current international network includes Denpasar, Nadi, Port Vila, and Apia Faleolo, with Queenstown flights restarting in November. Before the pandemic, the airline flew to destinations further afield, including Los Angeles Int'l and Hong Kong Int'l using B777-300(ER)s and A330-200s. However, after the airline's 2020 collapse and subsequent sale to private equity firm Bain Capital, a leaner Virgin Australia now only operates B737s and has scaled back its international flying. Hrdlicka didn't specify what new or returning international destinations were under consideration, but the absence of widebody aircraft limits the ability of the airline to fly long haul. However, the existing B737-800 fleet will be boosted by the arrival of four B737-8s in early 2023 followed by the first of twenty-five B737-10s in mid-2023.<br/>