Virgin Australia Adds 100-Seat Embraer E190-E2 To Fleet

In August 2024, Virgin Australia placed a new aircraft order for something other than the Boeing 737. There’s an exciting update, as the airline is now taking delivery of the first of these planes. However, odds are that most Virgin Australia customers will never fly this plane.

Virgin Australia has ordered eight Embraer E190-E2s

Virgin Australia has a firm order for eight Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. Deliveries of the jet have just begun, with the first plane now headed to the airline. This also happens to be Embraer’s 1,900th delivery of the E-jet, so that’s a pretty cool milestone.

For those not familiar with the Embraer E190-E2, this is the latest generation jet of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s lineup. The E190-E2s has the range to fly 2,850 nautical miles, so it’s capable of flying just about anywhere in Australia.

Virgin Australia’s E190-E2s are equipped with 100 seats, including eight business class seats and 92 economy class seats. Business class is in a 1-2 configuration, while economy is in a 2-2 configuration. You’ll find USB-C outlets throughout the plane, as well as AC power outlets in business class. The entire plane also features Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment.

This fleet addition might come as a surprise to some people, given that Virgin Australia’s “mainline” fleet consists exclusively of Boeing 737s. As you might expect, there’s a reason for this order…

Embraer jets will operate for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines

Virgin Australia’s new Embraer E190-E2s won’t operate as part of the mainline fleet, but rather will be operated by Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA). For those not familiar, VARA is based in Perth (PER), and operates flights within Western Australia, primarily for workers heading to mines and other sites with natural resources.

VARA operates a fleet of roughly 10 aircraft, including Airbus A320s and Fokker 100s, which differ from Virgin Australia’s standard fleet. So replacing some of those older planes with Embraer E190-E2s is quite the modernization. The airline estimates that these planes will allow for fuel savings of up to 30% compared to the Fokker 100s that are being replaced.

Now, you might find these planes sometimes scheduled on more “standard” routes, but that’s not their primary mission.

Here’s how Nick Rohrlach, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Group Executive, describes this fleet addition:

“We are incredibly excited by the introduction of the Embraer 190-E2s to the Virgin Australia Regional Airlines fleet. Replacing our Fokker 100s with these next-generation jets allows us to better connect resources industry clients and regional communities across Western Australia with improved reliability, significantly reduced noise, and lower emissions. These aircraft are perfectly designed for the challenging climates and environments we operate in, while offering our customers a spacious and comfortable in-flight experience.”

Bottom line

In 2024, Virgin Australia placed an order for eight Embraer E190-E2s, and the first of these is now being delivered. These planes will operate for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines in Western Australia, primarily for charter flights to mines and other destinations frequented by workers. The jets will replace all Fokker 100s and some Airbus A320s.

The E190-E2 is an awesome plane, so it’s great to see Virgin Australia add the aircraft to its fleet. However, most passengers will never fly this jet, since it won’t operate many scheduled flights, and won’t leave Western Australia much.

What do you make of Virgin Australia’s Embraer E190-E2 acquisition?