Hannah Dowling

Including the new additions, Virgin Australia’s mainline fleet now totals 77 aircraft, including 75 Boeing 737-800s and two slightly smaller Boeing 737-700s.

Construction is now already underway, with the first 500 beds to be available by the end of this year. The facility will be entirely completed by March next year, according to the Wagners.

In total, Qantas expects 10 of its 12 A380s to be back to performing regularly scheduled services by early 2024, while the remaining two are to be retired.

From mid-December, Qantas and Jetstar will reinstate international schedules between Australia and low-risk countries, including Singapore, the US, Japan, the UK, Canada and Fiji.

The flag carrier noted that non-stop flights between Australia and London are likely to “be in even higher demand” following the COVID pandemic and could see Darwin as a new key transit point between Australia and Europe.

Qantas has posted an underlying loss before tax of $1.83 billion, due to “diabolical” operating conditions and sudden border closures in the second half of the financial year.