Embraer delivers first 170 jet to Virgin Blue

06 September 2007

New Delhi: Embraer has announced the delivery of its first Embraer 170 jet to Australia''s Virgin Blue Airlines Pty Ltd., at a ceremony held at Embraer headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil.

Virgin Blue, the first in the Pacific to receive the aircraft, has six firm orders for the Embraer 170 and 14 for the Embraer 190 and will be the backbone of the airline''s expansion.

In November 2006, Virgin Blue placed an initial order for three Embraer 170 and 11 Embraer 190. In April 2007, the airline reinforced its confidence in the fleet expansion strategy based on the E-Jets by confirming three Embraer 170 options and three Embraer 190 purchase rights, for the current total of 20 firm orders. The company also has three options for the Embraer 190 and 17 purchase rights.

"We are thrilled to be able to make this first delivery to Virgin Blue," said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer president and CEO. "Virgin Blue is setting new standards in Oceania with its New World Carrier branding, and their decision further demonstrates the worldwide versatility of the E-Jets applications. I''m very pleased that Virgin Blue rates the E-Jets as ''A New Sensation'', clearly showing the qualities the aircraft will bring to their sophisticated competitive environment."

Based in Brisbane, from humble beginnings in 2000 with two aircraft, Virgin Blue and its sister carriers, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue, currently operate a fleet of 53 aircraft and fly to 23 domestic destinations, including the capital cities of every state and territory in Australia, and six international destinations in New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.

Virgin Blue''s Embraer 170 jets are configured with 78 seats, and the Embraer 190 jets with 104 seats, both in a comfortable single-class configuration. The Embraer 190 will be the first of the family, in the world, to fly under the ETOPS (extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards) certification, starting in the first semester of 2008.