Virgin Australia winding down use of wet-leased Fokkers

By Andrew Curran.

1.10pm. June 9, 2026. Updated with input from Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia is winding down its use of wet-leased Fokker jets as it continues to take delivery of B737-8s and E190-E2s.

Presently, Virgin Australia is wet-leasing the equivalent of two F100s and two F70s from Alliance Airlines on a full-time basis. 

However, contributors to an Australian Frequent Flyer forum have noted that the airline will discontinue its use of F100s on the Brisbane (BNE) – Newcastle (NTL) and Brisbane – Rockhampton (ROK) routes from August 3, 2026. From that date, Virgin Australia will operate the services using B737-800s and B737-8s.

That will leave just two Virgin Australia regular passenger transport routes, Brisbane – Emerald (EMD) and Brisbane – Gladstone (GLT), still served by wet-leased Fokkers. On both routes, Virgin Australia typically deploys F70s rather than F100s.

"As more new aircraft have entered the Virgin Australia fleet, we have been progressively bringing some flying operated under wet lease arrangements onto Virgin Australia aircraft," a spokesperson told Aero South Pacific.

With larger aircraft in use, frequencies on the Brisbane - Newcastle city-pair will reduce from three daily roundtrips to two, while frequencies on the Brisbane - Rockhampton city-pair will decrease from five/six per day to four/five.

"The change will deliver a more consistent Virgin Australia experience for guests, including access to Business Class and Economy X," the spokesperson added.

Reducing reliance on Fokker jets

The airline, and its sibling operator Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), ceased using their own Fokker aircraft on Western Australian fly-in fly-out routes last year. However, wet-leased Fokkers still occasionally appear on VA services in Western Australia, albeit far less frequently than in the past.

Alliance Airlines continues to do brisk business wet-leasing aircraft to other carriers, including Qantas, Airnorth, and Virgin Australia.

Qantas owns a 19.9% stake in Alliance Airlines, although the company has traditionally been agnostic about leasing aircraft to competing carriers. Alliance has been wet-leasing aircraft to Virgin Australia for 14 years.

Virgin Australia’s decision to reduce its reliance on wet-leased Fokkers is primarily driven by increased in-house capacity.

Virgin Australia's recent fleet growth

The airline has just taken delivery of its fourth E190-E2, with another four due to arrive. These aircraft mostly operate in Western Australia, replacing owned and leased Fokkers on mining and some scheduled passenger services.

On the east coast, Virgin Australia has taken delivery of eleven B737-8s since July 2025, including five since January 1, 2026. Some have replaced older B737-800s, while others have supported network growth, reducing the need for wet-leased aircraft.

Virgin Australia’s B737 fleet now stands at 102 aircraft, comprising nineteen MAX 8s and eighty-three B737-800s.

Virgin Australia will continue using wet-leased Alliance Fokkers on flights to Gladstone and Emerald. Gladstone’s runway is 1,920 metres long, while Emerald’s runway measures 1,900 metres.

While minimum runway requirements vary depending on factors such as aircraft weight, weather conditions, and airport elevation, a fully loaded narrow-body Boeing passenger jet typically requires around 2,500 metres of runway for take-off.

Photo: AI-Generated.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com