Virgin vows to challenge Qantas on ultra-long-haul flights

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson will ‘seriously’ look at taking on Qantas on ultra-long-range routes.

Sir Richard Branson hams it up on a makeshift sushi train to promote Virgin Australia’s new route from Brisbane to Tokyo. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson has vowed to take on Qantas on ultra-long-range routes, such as London to Sydney, so there will be competition and choice for consumers.

Speaking in Brisbane to promote Virgin Australia’s new route to Tokyo’s Haneda airport, Sir Richard said he was not aware Qantas was about to stage its second test flight in its Project Sunrise campaign.

A brand new Qantas Boeing 787-9 will take off from London tonight, Australian time, for the 18,000km journey to Sydney, where it is due to land around midday tomorrow after flying for close to 20-hours. The test flight will carry just 52 people.

Sir Richard said he “took his hat off” to Qantas for tackling the marathon route but added “he would be having words” with Virgin Australia boss Paul Scurrah.

“They need competition,” he said.

“Maybe Virgin Atlantic might compete with them, maybe Virgin Australia will or maybe together. We will give them a run for their money.”

Mr Scurrah chimed in, saying: “We will.”

Sir Richard continued: “We’re seriously going to look at that.”

READ MORE: Qantas in second ultra-long-haul trial | Paul Scurrah wields axe on Virgin Australia’s routes

Now almost 70, the entrepreneur showed he had lost none of his larrikin humour, riding into Brisbane Airport’s arrivals hall on the baggage belt as part of a giant sushi train, to promote the Tokyo flights.

“It’s taken me 70 years to get permission to go on one of these things,” he quipped.

Of the Tokyo flights, Sir Richard said the route was very important for Virgin Australia, given the rarity of slots at Haneda, which is closer to Tokyo than Narita Airport.

“It’s a great breakthrough for Virgin and the Australian public generally,” said Sir Richard.

“Where Qantas flies on its own to routes, prices are always very high and they always put their most rundown planes on those routes. When they get competition they will compete with quality and price so I’m sure in response to us they’ll sharpen their pencils and that’s what is great for the consumer.”

On the subject of Virgin Australia’s financial woes, Sir Richard said he would love to see the airline return to profitability and their shares doing better.

“We have a wonderful new managing director on board who’s making tough decisions,” he said, referring the 750 planned job cuts and the axing of a number of routes including Melbourne to Hong Kong.

“Obviously to be sustainable for years to come you’ve got to be profitable and I feel even though a lot of those decisions have been very difficult, the right decisions have been made and I look forward to the airline getting into profit and having a great future.”

The Brisbane-Haneda flights will start on March 29, 2020 in time for the Tokyo Olympics. Seats are expected to go on sale by the end of the year but Mr Scurrah was keep tight-lipped on pricing.

“What customers can expect is what we’ve done on every route and that’s to make sure there are fairer fares coming on to that market,” said Mr Scurrah.