Australian low-fare carrier Virgin Blue has indicated that its long-awaited narrowbody aircraft order is imminent, with Boeing looking set to be the victor.
Virgin Blue has been planning an order for up to 40 Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s for some time and was "very close" to a decision as Flight International went to press. The carrier says that Boeing is the front-runner as it already operates 737s and wants to maintain a single-type fleet, but has stressed that Airbus aircraft are still being considered for a possible re-fleeting.
Airbus, however, has suggested that it does not consider itself to be a real contender at Virgin Blue, claiming there has been "no ongoing campaign".
The manufacturer says reports suggesting "that there has been some ongoing, hard-fought sales campaign to win the business" are not accurate, as "this is not the case".
"For the record, Airbus submitted its proposal to Virgin Blue back in June, and since then we have been awaiting their decision," it says. "There has been no ongoing campaign, at least none involving Airbus."
FlightSafety Boeing Training International announced earlier in December that it would set up a joint-venture flight simulator centre and aircraft maintenance training capability in partnership with Virgin Blue at its Brisbane base.
The two companies did not detail simulator types in confirming their deal, but sources close to the agreement have said two are likely to be Next Generation 737 devices, one 737 Classic device and a 717 device.
Source: Flight International
