AAP
Virgin eyes 40 new planes
August 30, 2002
VIRGIN Blue boss Sir Richard Branson says the airline plans to expand, with a tentative order for 40 new aircraft and applications to fly international routes.
Sir Richard said the discount airline would decide on a $3 billion order in the next couple of weeks and had just applied to fly to Hong Kong.
He said Virgin Blue also had other international routes in mind.
"Bali's one of my favourite places," he told reporters in Sydney.
"I'm sure that we'll be applying to fly to Bali at some stage."
Sir Richard said the airline was waiting to see if Qantas Airways bought into Air New Zealand before starting trans-Tasman routes.
Meanwhile, he said he was willing to meet the head of Sydney Airport Corporation Ltd (SACL) to work towards an end to the impasse over access to the former Ansett terminal.
However, he was only prepared to do so if the airport acknowledged a verbal agreement with Virgin made earlier this year.
The head of SACL last night urged the meeting.
Today, Sir Richard will launch an advertising campaign as his latest move in the row over the 18 gate terminal.
In Melbourne yesterday he said a handshake agreement made while the terminal was still under Government control should be honoured by the new owners.
"If they're willing to honour what their chairman David Mortimer said was a contract and a deal with us, then I'm very happy to sit down with them and sign a bit of paper," he told Channel Nine at Sydney Airport this morning.
"If they're just putting out a statement saying they want to meet with me to renegotiate an agreement that they've already agreed with us, I don't really want to meet with them."
Sir Richard said he would call SACL owner Macquarie Bank Ltd to clarify its position today.
Virgin has already initiated legal action in the NSW Supreme Court seeking orders to uphold its claimed agreement for access and long-term use of former Ansett gates.
Earlier this month, the airline said it would rather spend $15 million upgrading its existing facilities than pay "exorbitant rents" at the former Ansett site.
AAP