Australian airline, Virgin Blue, has taken delivery of its first Embraer 170 ” the first of six of the type - with a further 14 and larger, 190 variants to come.
”Virgin Blue”s decision demonstrates the versatility of the E-Jets applications,” said Embraer president and CEO, Frederico Fleury Curado.
Virgin Blue”s Embraer 170 jets are configured with 78 seats, with the larger aircraft holding a maximum 104 passengers, both in single-class configurations.
The 190 will be the first of the family in the world, to fly under ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) certification. This allows aircraft to operate safely on direct flights over large uninhabited areas, such as the South Pacific.
Virgin Blue launched in August, 2000, with a pair of Boeing 737s and after initially offering seven return flights a day between Brisbane and Sydney, is now Australia”s second largest airline with a 50-strong fleet of 737 aircraft.
Seven Boeing 777s on order will be used with new subsidiary V Australia, as reported by ABTN last month, for transpacific services in 2008.