Virgin set to lease more planes

The agreement comes as a surprise given new owners Bain said last year it intended to downsize the business’ 737 fleet from 85 to 56 as well as removing all other aircraft models. “We are committing to more aircraft and we are just really positive about the outlook,” Hrdlicka added.

The move appears to be prompted in part by a spike in ticket sales last week when the government announced it would supplement 800,000 half-price fares.

“I think what we saw … was consumers going: oh fantastic, the government is encouraging everybody to get out and about because it’s safe to do that. There’s a lot of pent-up demand – Australians just wanting to get out of the house and get back to normal, and have the opportunity to travel.

“I’m very confident that state premiers are going to do the right thing now and protect the community while also keeping the borders open.”