Virgin Australia orders 8 Embraer E190-E2 jets for delivery from 2025

[Saab34]

All the old Virgin -700s mostly went to Southwest, a few went to some Euro operators who scrapped them during the pandemic.

Southwest was still operating all the ex VA -700s, they have just retired them in the last year, the last one actually exited service earlier this week, most left the fleet last month.

End of an era. VBY and Z still chugging along. Seemed to have a recent heavy check in AUH last year so they probably have another 5 years to run.

 

[markis10]

All the old Virgin -700s mostly went to Southwest,

Only one went direct to Southwest as per my post, they picked up many of the Argentina aircraft 5 years later

 

[markis10]

Seemed to have a recent heavy check in AUH last year so they probably have another 5 years to run.

P8 is due 9-12 years worst case

 

[Harrison_133]

How many -700 did VA actually have "back in the day"? I thought any smaller 73s were only part of the scale up as they awaited NG delivery?

The Virgin Blue -700 fleet peaked at 22 back in the day.

End of an era. VBY and Z still chugging along. Seemed to have a recent heavy check in AUH last year so they probably have another 5 years to run.

Flew on VBY last week. She was looking nice and shiny in her new paint job. Must of had some interior work done too because the bins and sidewalls were noticeably less shabby and the windows weren't scratched anymore.

 

[Harrison_133]

Had my first spin on the E2 recently.

Some general comments :

• Super quiet on the inside. I think the air conditioning system was actually louder than the noise from the engines. Compared to my flights on the A220, the E2 is much quieter.
• Interior design felt very modern, especially in comparison to the E190-E1.
• Row 4 in Economy X would probably be the best pick. The legroom is endless. Same can be said for 2A in Business. Seats were pretty comfortable and I'd happily do longer flights on these.
• Overhead lockers are deceptively big. They look small but are quite deep, and can easily store multiple wheelie bags.
• The crew were excellent and clearly enthusiastic about working on the new aircraft. The two CMs were very attentive, and did an excellent job at looking after the J cabin.
• Currently there's no Wifi or inflight entertainment, but this is apparently being fitted in mid-2026.

Overall, a great aircraft and a welcome upgrade for WA routes. Hopefully they find their way over to the East Coast too at some point.