Virgin Australia has chosen a two-class configuration for the Fleet of the Embraer E190-E2.
When it first revealed the cabin interior, Australian airlines added that they expect to make four deliveries from E2 orders over a 12-month period.
Embraer will begin baptizing Virgin Australia's first E2, “Coral Bay,” in March, the airline confirms. Operating on the regional unit Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), E2S will replace the fleet of the Fokker 100 airlines.
E2S is also based in Perth, serving the Western Australian charter market. Vara is Australia's first E2 operator and, after the Singapore Scoot, will become the newest E2 operator in the Asia-Pacific region.
Virgin Australia does not disclose seating numbers for the E2S, but interior renderings show that at least eight business class seats are in three abrest configurations.
Nathan Miller, executive general manager at Vara, added that the airline has also chosen to include an “out-of-league room option” in economy classes. The dual-class configuration allows airlines to deploy E2 to non-charter services when needed.
Miller adds: “From a network and scheduling perspective, we plan ways to best utilize the aircraft to support both charter and commercial flights. The first aircraft will operate primarily on current charter routes and operate at commercial airports (West Australia), but as a fleet farm, there is definitely a growing opportunity.”
Vara has also confirmed that it will begin hiring new pilots and support their roles leading up to the introduction of E2. Maintenance training is already underway, with pilot training at Singapore's emblems facilities and soon-to-be cabin crew training.
