Virgin Australia

Today we announced our existing partnership with Qatar Airways Group will be strengthened with its intention to acquire a 25 per cent minority stake in Virgin Australia, subject to Australian Government approval. This is an important milestone in Virgin Australia’s future return to the Australian public market. Qatar Airways Group’s strategic investment will provide access to critical scale and the knowledge and capability of a world-leading global airline. Our team is the heart of Virgin Australia and this proposed investment is huge recognition of their talent and hard work in rebuilding Australia’s most loved airline. Every one of our 8,000 team members has played a significant role in enabling this investment by Qatar Airways Group.   The investment enables Virgin Australia to make a measured entry into long-haul international flying by mid-2025 through a wet lease arrangement with Qatar Airways. This will ensure Australians have access to even better value airfares and greater choice, with significant flow-on benefits for competition and the Australian economy. It will deliver additional customer benefits, including expanded codeshare arrangements and increased earn and redemption opportunities between Velocity and Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club. And it will unlock the potential for new areas of cooperation, including on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and western Sydney’s aviation ecosystem.   More information: https://lnkd.in/gxiv52PC #VirginAustralia #QatarAirways

Congratulations to the Brisbane Lions for winning the 2024 Toyota AFL Grand Final!   As the official airline of the AFL - Australian Football League since 2011, we are proud to have transported the players, coaches, league officials and support staff of all 18 clubs again this season.   This equates to over 5,000 flights, 183,000 seats and 3,600 tonnes of club cargo in that time.   Thank you to our wonderful staff for keeping the footy flying and sharing the magic of the game across the country.   #VirginAustralia #AFL

We are excited to share that last week we partnered with PT Pertamina Patra Niaga to be the first international carrier to integrate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) out of Bali, as part of activities at the Bali International Air Show. We purchased 160,000 litres of SAF made from used cooking oil and blended with jet fuel to complete services between Indonesia and Australia. SAF helps reduce the carbon emissions of the aviation sector, and we are pleased to showcase the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of using SAF as part of our short-haul international operations. Integrating SAF, we are working towards our sustainability goals—reducing carbon emissions by 22% by 2030 and targeting net zero by 2050. Ultimately, we need support from many areas within the Australian and international aviation industry to ensure an ongoing, reliable, and affordable SAF operation at Virgin Australia. #VirginAustralia #SAF

Captain Adam Barr has been flying our aircraft proudly for more than 23 years while balancing his role with raising two sons, Ethan and Lachlan. Now aged 27 and 29, the brothers have followed in their father’s footsteps, both pursuing careers as pilots with Virgin Australia. Ethan recently completed his final training requirements with his brother and father proudly overseeing his last flight to earn a First Officer command. "It's been easier training them to fly an aeroplane than it was teaching them how to drive a car," laughed Adam. #VirginAustralia

#FlashbackFriday: This week marks Virgin Australia's 24th year flying across the Australian skies. Commencing operations as Virgin Blue, the company found itself to be a major player in the Australian market after the collapse of Ansett Australia in 2001. Since then, the company rebranded and has grown to become the Virgin Australia we know today. Happy birthday VA! #aviaiton #safety #virginaustralia #casa

We are thrilled to celebrate pilot Ben Arnott, who received his Captain command on the rooftop of our Brisbane Head Office today. With over 14 years and 12,000 hours of dedicated flying service with Virgin Australia, Ben has established himself as a highly experienced and respected member of our wonderful team. Ben is one of the many Virgin Australia pilots who receive command upgrades each year and is set to lead his first flight as a Captain on an Adelaide-Melbourne service early next month. Congratulations from the Virgin Australia family! Picture: Base Manager, Andy Bauer and Captain Ben Arnott, during the Royal Australian Air Force Riverfire rehearsal. #VirginAustralia

It's been 12 months since we announced a joint MoU with Boeing to amplify and accelerate sustainability initiatives for our organisations.   In our first year, our work together has focused on progressing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), workforce development and inclusion, and the Australia-US bilateral clean energy cooperation.   While there's much to be done as we move towards a more sustainable industry, we remain laser focused on the important work ahead.   More information is available in our first joint annual report: https://lnkd.in/gnWHvPc5   #VirginAustralia #Boeing  

We are rekindling an old flame. Our partnership with Air New Zealand is set to be reignited following authorisation of a new trans-Tasman codeshare agreement by Australian and New Zealand regulators. It will give our customers a comprehensive trans-Tasman network and access to greater value, choice and loyalty rewards when they are travelling to New Zealand. We look forward to our partnership with Air New Zealand taking off later this year. More here: https://lnkd.in/geeteM6v #VirginAustralia #AirNewZealand

Today we announced the acquisition of eight new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft in a significant investment that will secure the future growth of our WA-based regional business, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA). The addition of the E190-E2 gives us a long-term solution for our Western Australia charter market operations as we retire the long serving F100 fleet. These new aircraft will improve reliability, performance and customer comfort when they enter the VARA fleet from October 2025. Today’s announcement is part of a group-wide fleet growth and renewal program that includes the acquisition of new Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft and the refurbishment of our existing 737 fleet. More here: https://lnkd.in/gNMaaxta #VirginAustralia #Embraer