Virgin Atlantic has placed a firm order for seven A-330neo aircraft as part of its wider fleet transformation. The agreement takes Virgin Atlantic’s commitment for this model to 19 planes in total, providing improved economics.

The order was announced during the "Farnborough Airshow" (FIA, July 22-26) onboard Virgin Atlantic’s A-330neo, named ‘Ruby Rebel’, and registered as GB-VSRB after founder Sir Richard Branson, to celebrate the airline's 40th anniversary.

The A-330neo has the Airspace cabin; powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A-330/900 is capable of flying 7,200 nm/13,300 km non-stop. At the end of June 2024, the A-330 Family had accumulated 1,798 firm orders from more than 130 customers worldwide, including 319 A-330neo from 30 customers.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has signed a firm order with Airbus for 20 A-350/900 widebody aircraft and 11 single-aisle A-321neo, finalising a commitment announced earlier this year.

The order was announced at the "FIA 2024" during a signing ceremony with Yukio Nakagawa, Executive Officer and Senior Vice President Procurement of Japan Airlines, and Christian Scherer, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft business.

The new A-350/900s will join the carrier’s A-350 fleet serving international routes, while the A-321neo will operate on domestic services within Japan. To date the carrier has ordered a total of 52 A-350s, with 18 in service. The A-321neo contract represents JAL’s first order for the Airbus single-aisle product line.

The A-350 is the widebody aircraft and the long-range reference in the 300-410 seater category. By the end of June 2024, the A-350 Family had won more than 1,300 firm orders from 60 customers worldwide.

The A-321neo is the largest member of Airbus’ A-320neo Family. By incorporating new generation engines and Sharklets, the model brings a noise reduction and fuel savings and CO₂ reduction compared to previous generation single-aisle aircraft. To date more than 6,400 neos have been ordered by more than 90 customers across the globe.