The farewell of the Fokker 100 as a workhorse in Western Australia has been in the air for a long time, but now a successor is also known for part of the active fleet.
Aiming the replacement of its long-serving Fokker fleet and complementing its larger narrowbodies, Virgin Australia has placed a firm order with Embraer for eight E190-E2 small narrowbody aircraft.
The latest order will be reflected in Embraer’s Q3 backlog and deliveries are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025.
The announcement event is being attended by the Deputy Premier of Western Australia and Treasurer, Minister for Transport and Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Rita Saffioti.
Virgin Australia’s E190-E2 fleet will be based in Perth and operated by Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA). The aircraft has a flying range of around six hours and is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1900G engines.
Jayne Hrdlicka, Virgin Australia Group CEO, said :
“When the new E190-E2 enters service from October 2025, it will become the first new aircraft in the WA charter market this century,” “The E190-E2 is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its segment and will reduce emissions by about 30 per cent compared to the outgoing F100. These aircraft also feature significantly lower noise profiles and enhanced passenger comfort.”
“When the E190-E2 joins the fleet from late next year it will predominantly operate charter flights for VARA, bolstering its position as a leading operator in the WA charter market.
“This is a huge vote of confidence by the Virgin Australia Group in our charter business and the WA market.”
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation said,
Another E2 customer! @VirginAustralia has ordered 8 E190-E2s. The E-Jets will be based in Perth. Deliveries start next year.
Martyn Holmes, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said :
“The E2 is a game changer,” “We are excited to welcome Virgin Australia to the Embraer family and look forward to seeing our best in class E2 - renowned for comfort, quietness, and low emissions – take the Airline to even greater heights.”
First E190-E2 is scheduled to enter service in October next year, with the eight new aircraft said to be supporting 150 extra jobs over the next three years.
The aircraft will predominantly service the Western Australia charter market, and will ultimately replace the Fokker 100 planes which have long been in Virgin Australia's fleet.
Embraer said in its press release,
"Embraer is committed to developing products, solutions, and technologies to contribute to the aviation industry’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. "
"Embraer aims to be carbon neutral by 2040 and achieve carbon neutral growth from 2022. It plans to implement 25% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use in its operations by 2040 and 100% renewable energy sources by 2030."
Since the first Bandeirante took to Australia’s skies in 1978, Embraer’s has firmly established its presence there with close to 50 aircraft currently operating in the country, making it one of the largest E-Jets fleets in the Asia-Pacific region.
Virgin Australia is not the only Australian airline that will replace its Fokker fleet in the coming years. Alliance Airlines and Network Aviation still have about fifty Fokker 70s and Fokker 100s active.
Rival QantasLink has the Embraer E190-100 planes in its fleet through its partnership with Alliance Airlines. In a latest development in late June, Qantas announced a change to its regional fleet, revealing it was acquiring 14 mid-life Q400 turboprops from the end of this year.
Due to this phase out exercise, 19 smaller Q200 and Q300 turboprop aircraft currently within the QantasLink fleet will be phased out.
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