Virgin Aircraft Order
 

I heard today Virgin will make an Aircraft order announcement at Farnborough. Anyone know if it will be Boeing or Airbus and what will be the numbers? Firm/options, Replacements or additions?

TBE.

Rumour I heard was that 6 777's would be ordered (don't know which flavour though). Eventually to replace the 744's is what I was told!!. :hmm:

Source was a VS Capt. who was the subject of discussion on here not too long ago.



:)

Its true that a order for new aircraft is imminent, but my sources
say that the 777-??? is no longer a option but more A340-600s
are to be ordered. This decision was taken because Virgin managed to get a better deal on A320 aircraft for Virgin USA by opting to buy more A340-600,or vice versa.
Sorry guys take this as a lost opportunity to buy a superb product from Boeing.

It's an interesting one this; the rumours were overwhelmingly '777 to replace all Airbuses' up until recently when the 'all A340-600' rumour started it's way round.

Was there a late bid by the boys from Tolouse, we wait for Farnborough.

Shouldn't this be on airliners.net?

What happened to 'Four engines for long haul'? Wasn't that one of the slogans Sir Richard had on his a/c?

And why introduce a new type such as the 777, with all the associated crew conversion costs involved, when the A340-600 is already in service with Virgin Atlantic? Surely it makes better sense to increase the current fleet size?

Plus it won't take much to convert from the A340-600 to the A380 in a few years' time.....

Don't know the outcome, but surely the current dollar rate, 1.86 to the pound yesterday i think and suppose you would get far better than that if you were spending millions, would sway any accountant, in contrast the euro rate is 0.67 to the pound, quite expensive.
Boeing must be loving it and maybe thats why first choice have ordered 6 7e7's ?

Toon you get 1.50 euros to the pound not 0.67. If it was 0.67 euros to the pound we'd be flooded with French and German tourists out for cheap holidays:ok:

All commercial aircraft are priced and sold in dollars whether Boeing or Airbus so the exchange rate would have little bearing on selection.

I think there may have been one or two Euro deals done (Iberia?) and perhaps more planned but for the moment it is very much a dollar industry.

try this for all conversions ...... the Max historical charts make interesting reading if your buying Aircraft ....

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=1&s=GBP&t=EUR&c=0

Well....

I did hear on the vine-of-grapes, that VS were decidedly miffed that FCA had beat em to being the Euro launch customer for 7E7s.

sevenforeseven - would that 'superb product' from Boeing be the 777? I'm surprised 6 777s haven't been given out for the price of 5 seeing how desperate the company (is Boeing a company or an Institution??) currently is. I truly hope VS doesn't become 'politically correct' like BA......i.e BA will only ever use Boeing for its longhaul development because it is obliged to support Anglo-american relations!

I've heard A340's (10+ airframes), probably announced at Farnborough.

Advert in Flight for Airbus type rated pilots in the next couple of weeks.

Reuters
Virgin Atlantic to order planes by end-summer
Monday July 26, 5:49 am ET

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways said on Monday it remained in talks with European aerospace giant Airbus and U.S. rival Boeing for a big aircraft order by the end of the summer.
"We still think it is going to be sometime during the later part of the summer," a Virgin Atlantic spokesman told Reuters.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted Branson as saying Airbus was "marginally ahead" of Boeing for the potential $5 billion order he said was due in the next seven to 14 days.

The spokesman would not confirm Branson's remarks and said no order had been finalised.

Branson said in March he expected to complete talks with fierce rivals Airbus and Boeing by the end of summer for potentially 30 aircraft, A340s or B777s, as the airline adds new routes and increases staff.

Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is 80 percent owned by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. and 20 percent by BAE Systems.

Singapore Airlines Ltd owns a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin America, a new U.S. discount airline backed by Branson, said last month it planned to acquire and lease up to 105 Airbus planes