The airline has placed an order for 14 of the aircraft, with an option for a further six, as a replacement for its long-serving A330-300s. The order is worth more than $4 billion.
According to Virgin, the neo is 13% more fuel and carbon efficient than the A330-300, and delivers a “50% reduction in airport noise contour”.
Virgin also claims the move will, by 2024, improve its fleet-wide fuel efficiency 32%.
The airline said the order was a “crucial step” in its fleet transformation programme, which will see it replace its entire fleet over a 10-year period and reduce its average age to 5.3 years.
