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Virgin Australia’s new retro 737 MAX 8, the 150th 737 it has operated and the 100th in its current fleet, has entered commercial service.
VH-8VI “Lake Centenary”, which is painted red in a callback to the Virgin Blue days, operated flight VA308 from Brisbane to Melbourne on Monday morning, touching down at 9am. The aircraft arrived in Australia last week after leaving the Boeing factory in Seattle in March.
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“Lake Centenary is the 100th Boeing 737 in our current fleet and marks a truly monumental milestone. One that reflects just how far we have come since Virgin Blue launched in 2000 with just two aircraft, operating one route,” said Virgin Australia chief executive Dave Emerson.
“This aircraft is a celebration of our team. Including their names is our way of recognising how important each and every one of them is to our journey.
“Lake Centenary also represents our continued investment in a more efficient and modern fleet. The 737-8 is approximately 19 per cent more fuel efficient than our existing 737-800s and around 50 per cent quieter, delivering meaningful reductions in both emissions and noise.
“Fleet renewal is the most impactful lever we have to reduce our emissions in the short to medium term, while also improving operational efficiency and delivering a better experience for our guests.”
Aside from the special livery, VH-8VI also features the names of more than 8,000 Virgin Australia staff members printed on the overhead lockers, including first officer Amy Dunn, who said it represented a “special moment for the team”.
“It’s an incredible acknowledgement of the team to have our names printed on the overhead lockers of this very special aircraft,” she said.
“I have no doubt that Flight and Cabin Crew will be incredibly proud to operate this aircraft and will be lining up for the opportunity to fly on it.”
Virgin says it is expecting 12 737‑8s, along with four Embraer E190‑E2s for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines, to join the fleet in 2026; it introduced its first 737 MAX 8, VH-8IA “Monkey Mia”, in 2023.
Virgin Australia had also ordered 25 of the larger 737 MAX 10s to augment its Boeing fleet, but in September 2024, it shifted 12 of these orders to MAX 8s because the MAX 10 had not yet received certification. The change brought Virgin’s total MAX 8 order from 14 to 26.
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