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10th ex-Virgin aircraft lands at Wellcamp for storage

written by Adam Thorn | October 27, 2020

Photographer Lenn Bayliss VH-VPD Virgin 777 26 October 2020 045-1
The ex-Virgin 777, VH-VPD, arrives at Wellcamp on 26 October 2020 (Lenn Bayliss)

The 10th former Virgin Australia aircraft arrived at Wellcamp Airport on Monday for storage.

The Boeing 777-3ZG(ER), VH-VPD msn 37938, departed Brisbane Airport as VA9918 on 27 October at 10:19am and landed at Toowoomba at 10:45am.

The arrival of the VH-VPD brought the number of 777s in storage at the airport to four, joining one A330 and five 737s.

Australian Aviation photographer Lenn Bayliss was on hand to capture the moment.

In August, Virgin Australia announced plans cut 3,000 jobs and significantly downsize its fleet.

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The new network will operate a 737 mainline fleet for domestic services but removing ATR, Boeing 777, Airbus A330 and Tigerair Airbus A320s. Its regional and charter fleet will also be maintained.

It comes as Australian Aviation reported on Monday that the TWU has said it will resume negotiations with Virgin over working terms after suspending talks the day before Paul Scurrah apparently resigned as chief executive.

National secretary Michael Kaine said the organisation, and other unions, will go back to the table with new owner Bain after receiving information “reconfirming” the carrier’s plan to become a mid-market hybrid and not a low-cost carrier.

The news comes after Scurrah earlier this month announced his exit to be replaced by former Jetstar boss Jayne Hrdlicka.

His departure is significant because he was synonymous with the airline’s plan to operate as a mid-market ‘hybrid’ rather than reverting back to being a low-cost carrier like predecessor Virgin Blue.

Hrdlicka, meanwhile, also had a notoriously fraught relationship with unions in her earlier role at the Qantas Group.

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Comments (5)

  • Anton

    says:

    What is the difference between ‘hybrid mid market’ and low cost?

  • Marum

    says:

    Welcome to the world of business boys.

    What do you thing PEPs do? I’ll give the Unions a hint. Bain are there to make money. I am sure they are not a registered charity.

    It may have started earlier, but I think Slater Walker Securities started this in the early sixties. They would buy old reputable established companies, move their manufacturing elsewhere, (rationalizing production) and sell the real estate. In those days they called them “Asset Strippers”. Nowadays it is PEPs.

    Welcome to reality. Unions….Marum.

  • james

    says:

    so new virgin will fly to NZ but what about Fiji ?

  • AlanH

    says:

    Who would want to fly to Fiji on a 737?

  • James

    says:

    Alanh prob all the people that have ever on Air Pacific, Fiji Air, Qantas, Ansett, Virgin, Air Niugini, Air Nauru…

    What a silly comment

  • Nick

    says:

    It’s only a couple of hours moron. Better than going broke with widebody aircraft on the sector. Everyone wants the biggest widebody, but nobody wants to pay

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