Virgin Australia region unit seeks Fokker replacements

Virgin Australia’s regional unit has disclosed its intention to acquire “at least four new generation aircraft” to replace its aging fleet of Fokker 100s. Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) says it has begun a consultation process for the procurement of new aircraft, but stops short of stating which aircraft types it was looking at. “The potential replacement aircraft types would provide superior performance compared to the F100, lower fuel consumption and emissions through the employment of geared turbofan engines, enhanced customer product and improved operational performance,” states the Perth-headquartered carrier. Media reports, citing an internal employee memo, suggest the airline was looking at Airbus A220-100s or Embraer E190-E2s, possibly making it the first Australian operator of the two types. VARA has an operating fleet of four F100s, which are between 30 and 32 years old and were delivered to the carrier in 2013. It also operates a small fleet of A320ceos. The disclosure comes as VARA looks to diversify operations by growing its charter operations in Western Australia. The new aircraft would likely be based in Western Australia for resources charter operations, the airline states. <br/>