Virgin Australia has updated its schedule to include additional international flights using the Boeing 737 Max 8.

New international 737 Max routes for Virgin Australia include Denpasar (Bali), Nadi (Fiji), and Apia (Samoa).

Flights on the Boeing 737 Max 8 between Brisbane and Denpasar will begin on 22 January; on 23 January, flights between Brisbane and Apia and Brisbane and Nadi are scheduled to start.

Virgin Australia has begun scheduling its Max aircraft on routes starting in March from different bases, such as Sydney–Nadi on 4 March, Adelaide–Denpasar on 19 March, and Melbourne–Denpasar on 25 March.

The airline has taken delivery of its second 737 Max 8 and is using them on the Cairns-Haneda (Tokyo) route.

The Virgin Australia Max 8s have eight fully flat beds in a 2-2 business class arrangement and a 3-3 economy class layout.

In addition to the current fleet of eight Max 8s, Virgin Australia has placed an order for 25 Max 10s, with deliveries starting next year.

Virgin Australia’s fleet now includes 85 Boeing 737 aircraft, up from 58 when the airline relaunched in November 2020.

According to Stuart Aggs, chief operating officer of Virgin Australia, the new Max family aircraft is a critical component of the airline’s transition, providing a more luxurious experience for customers and serving as the backbone of Virgin Australia’s decarbonization goals.

He said, “With these new planes, we can increase capacity and support more efficient jet services.”

They will help us reach our goal of nett zero emissions by 2050 since they will lower emissions by at least 15% for every flight compared to the 737-800 NG fleet.