The airline blamed a global shortage of pilots and engineers, along with supply chain shocks post-pandemic that have forced it to make schedule reductions.
The Turkish flag carrier is understood to be considering three services per week between Istanbul and Sydney or Melbourne via Singapore from late 2023 or early 2024 using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, with a potential for more services depending on government approval, as reported in The Australian.
From 1 July, point balances on Velocity Frequent Flyer accounts will expire if the account has been inactive for two years, as the airline ends an expiry freeze that was put in place due to COVID-19. The two-year time limit was Virgin’s previous standard, compared to 18 months for Qantas Frequent Flyer.
The airline will shift its Tokyo (Narita) service from the Gold Coast to Brisbane, along with commencing new direct flights from Brisbane to Osaka and Seoul (Incheon) and upping the frequency of its existing flights to Bali and Auckland.
Flight VJ83, on board Airbus A330-300 VN-A810, touched down in Brisbane at 9:38pm on Friday night. The low-cost Vietnamese carrier will operate two return flights per week between Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane and expects to offer 39,000 seats in the route’s first year.
The Flying Kangaroo will operate three Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights per week between Perth and Rome until October 2023, with a total of more than 22,000 seats over four months. Flights for 2024 will go on sale early next month, extending the route into its third year.