V Australia could face delay in Boeing 777s delivery

Recent reports indicate that V Australia, Virgin Blue’s newly-formed long-haul airline, may face delays in the delivery of its 777s, meaning that its schedule to launch service to Los Angeles by mid-December could be in jeopardy.

Boeing’s delivery dates for the more fuel-efficient 777s have come into question due to the ongoing strike at Boeing plants in the U.S. northwest. V Australia was scheduled to receive its first 777 early in November and two more of the long-haul aircraft during the first half of December. Airlines around the globe are now expecting delays in delivery.

Air Canada reported on Friday that it was now expecting the two 777s due to be delivered by the end of December to be delayed due to the machinists’ strike.

V Australia is already running on a tight timeline in advance of its launch of the Sydney-Los Angeles service on 15 December, and the prospect of a delay in the delivery of the aircraft is certain to cause major headaches.

The first of V Australia’s 777s is said to be sitting on the tarmac outside a Boeing plant near Seattle in the U.S., but it still requires the internal fitting-out. Virgin Blue has seven Boeing 777-300ERs on order for the V Australia operation, and has an option in place for an additional six to be deployed on trans-Pacific routes.

www.vaustralia.com.au