Virgin Australia, which recently left administration under new ownership, has placed a new order for 25 Boeing 737 Max 10s, after scrapping existing commitments for the type.
The airline has 48737 Max orders, including 23 Max 8s and 25 Max 10s, but has delayed deliveries repeatedly.
It has now canceled the order and signed a new deal for the 25737 Max 10, which will begin deliveries in mid-2023. Previously, the airline would start using Max jets in 2021.
"The agreement represents a deep commitment to the future of the airline's new owner, Bain Capital, and allows Virgin to properly manage future fleet requirements in the midst of the worst year in aviation history," the airline said.
"We have moved to simplify our main fleet and are committed to the Boeing 737 as the backbone of our future international domestic and short haul operations," said Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of the Virgin Australia Group.
The changes come amid a massive overhaul of Virgin Australia, which was bought by US investment firm Bain in November.
As part of its postal administration plans, Virgin Australia revealed in August that it would operate a fleet of all 737s, with 777, Airbus A330 and ATR 72 en route.
Cirium's fleet data shows that the airline currently has a fleet of 32 737-700 and -800 in service, along with 15 737 in storage.
The US Federal Aviation Administration removed the runways from the Max 8 and 9 - the only variants not yet delivered - on November 18.
Boeing launched the 737 Max 10 - the largest variant of the Max - in November 2019. The jet is 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) longer than the Max 9, can carry up to 230 passengers and has a range of 3,300 nm ( 6,110 km), according to Boeing. The jet is not certified.
コメント