By Robert Wall
LONDON--Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Craig Kreeger said the
carrier will decide in five to nine months how to replace its fleet
of Boeing Co.'s (BA) 747s used on leisure routes.
The likely candidates are Boeing 787 long-range jets or the
plane maker's even larger 777 as well as Airbus Group NV's A350
wide-bodies, he said Wednesday.
Virgin Atlantic flies seven 747s on leisure routes from London
Gatwick. Those planes come to the end of their lease period
starting in 2019.
The size of the fleet order, which would include options for
growth, hasn't been fixed, Mr. Kreeger said. The airline has placed
orders for A380 super-jumbos but is unlikely to take those, he
reiterated while speaking at the World Travel Market
conference.
Virgin Atlantic this year started flying Boeing's 787-9
Dreamliner to phase out less fuel efficient Airbus A340 jets and
747 jumbos flown out of London Heathrow. The carrier will introduce
21 Dreamliners in the next four years.
Boeing has struggled with reliability of a smaller version of
the Dreamliner that came first. Mr. Kreeger said the 787-9
reliability has been good and on par with that seen on planes in
service already a few years.
Write to Robert Wall at Robert.Wall@wsj.com
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