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Virgin Australia is phasing out Alliance-operated Fokkers on two regional Brisbane routes.
The carrier will transition to its own 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft on Brisbane-Newcastle and Brisbane-Rockhampton from early August, in a move that comes as it continues to take delivery of new aircraft in its fleet renewal program.
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“As more new aircraft have entered the Virgin Australia fleet, we have been progressively bringing some flying operated under wet lease arrangements onto Virgin Australia aircraft,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
“From early August 2026, services between Brisbane and Newcastle, and Brisbane and Rockhampton, will transition from Alliance Airlines-operated services to Virgin Australia Boeing 737 aircraft.
“The change will deliver a more consistent Virgin Australia experience for guests, including access to Business Class and Economy X.”
The change will see frequencies slightly reduced, with Brisbane-Newcastle going from three to two daily return services and Brisbane-Rockhampton from five/six to four/five daily return services; however, the larger aircraft will see overall seat capacity on the routes slightly increase. Alliance will continue to operate Virgin’s flights from Brisbane to Gladstone and Emerald.
Virgin last month began flights with its 16th 737 MAX 8 and 100th current 737 aircraft, VH-8VI “Lake Centenary”, after its delivery from Boeing’s factory in Seattle. It currently also operates four Embraer E190-E2s in Western Australia, having received its fourth, VH-E2D, at the end of last month.
“Virgin Australia is in the strongest position it has been in over the past 25 years, and we are using that momentum to keep investing in our future,” chief executive Dave Emerson said in May.
“The Boeing 737-8 is central to our fleet renewal and growth program, which is one of the most important investments we are making in the company.”
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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