Virgin Blue Updates!!!

20th August 2003

Virgin Blue Lands Its First Owned Aircraft In Australia

Virgin Blue Airlines has taken delivery of its first owned aircraft after establishing itself as one of the most successful and profitable airlines in the global aviation industry.

The B737-800 aircraft touched down at its new Brisbane-based home after being handed over to Virgin Blue direct from the Boeing factory in Seattle. The aircraft arrived in Australia after a brief stop-over in New Zealand where it was “virginised” with the installation of state-of-the-art “winglets”.

The aircraft, with a market value of US $62-million, is the first to be owned by Virgin Blue following a purchase agreement with Boeing which includes another 9 aircraft scheduled to arrive over the next 12 months.

Virgin Blue secured the financing through the Royal Bank of Scotland, with support from the US Import/Export Bank as guarantor.

Chief Executive Brett Godfrey, said, “This is a significant milestone for Virgin Blue as we move towards balancing our fleet of leased and owned aircraft.”

“The backing of such highly regarded financial institutions such as The Royal Bank of Scotland and the US Import/Export Bank illustrates the strength of Virgin Blue’s business plan and we look forward to developing a long term relationship with both banks.”

The financing agreement was executed in Australian dollars.

Brett Godfrey added, “These brand new aircraft are the most cost-effective and efficient option for Virgin Blue and, with comfortable leather seats and in-flight audio entertainment, they are proving a hugely popular option with our Guests.

“Having modern new jets is also a key factor in our reliability and strong on-time performance record and we consider these new aircraft to be a valuable investment for our airline.”

Virgin Blue’s existing aircraft are leased through various lessors, including Boullion, CIT, GECAS, ILFC and Tombo. The arrival of the first owned aircraft takes the fleet to 32.

The aircraft has trans-continental capabilities in line with Virgin Blue’s plans to launch international flights later this year.

Virgin Blue To Launch Direct Hobart – Brisbane Flights Virgin Blue To Launch Direct Hobart – Brisbane Flights

Tasmanian travellers and local tourism are both set to benefit with the announcement that Australia’s low fare airline, Virgin Blue, will begin direct flights between Hobart and Brisbane from 7 October.

The new Hobart-Brisbane route positions Virgin Blue as the only airline to operate non-stop services between Tasmania and Queensland on a daily basis, nurturing the tourism industry as well as the budgets of both business and leisure travellers.

It follows strong support for Virgin Blue’s flights in Tasmania and comes less than a year after the airline first began flying into Hobart.

Head of Communication and Strategy, David Huttner, said “This time last year we weren’t even operating to Hobart and now we have three direct flights a day between the Tassie capital to Melbourne and shortly a brand new service to Brisbane.”

He continued, “Our strategy has always been to support those regions that support us and the people of Hobart have spoken loud and clear by choosing to take advantage of our low fares and great service.

“We identified a large number of travellers booking connecting flights between the two cities. Virgin Blue has always believed in ‘hub-busting’ and we decided there was no reason why people travelling between these two great states should not have the convenience of flying direct.”

A special one-way launch fare of $99* is on sale from now until 18 August, for travel from 7 October to 30 November 2003.

Virgin Blue’s Mid-week Mini Fares start from $149* one way on the net, with a Fully Flexible walk up fare of $410* which is 32% cheaper than Qantas’s connecting walk up fare of $607 between the two cities.

The brand new service represents a 33% increase in capacity for Virgin Blue in Hobart and an additional 288 seats into and out of the city.

David Huttner continued, “Both Queensland and Tasmania have been at the forefront of the surge in domestic tourism, and we expect a strong response whether people are heading north to Queensland’s sunshine or south to the natural wonders of Tasmania.”

The new Virgin Blue flight will depart Hobart daily at 12.55pm, arriving in Brisbane at 2.50pm with a convenient morning return from Brisbane at 8.45am, arriving back in Hobart at 12.25pm.

The new route will take the number of flights in and out of Hobart to four a day, complimenting the existing three daily direct services from Hobart to Melbourne with convenient connections throughout Australia.

OTHER NEWS CAN BE FOUND AT
http://www.virginblue.com.au