Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, West Sussex, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and was originally planned by its co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands. Soon after changing the name to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Fields sold his shares in the company to Richard Branson in return for unlimited free travel.[5] The maiden flight from London–Gatwick to Newark took place on 22 June 1984.
The airline along with Virgin Holidays is controlled by a holding company, Virgin Atlantic Limited, which is 51% owned by the Virgin Group and 49% by Delta Air Lines. It is administratively separate from other Virgin-branded airlines. Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited both hold Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licences (AOC numbers 534[6] and 2435 respectively),[6] both of which permit these airlines, operating as Virgin Atlantic Airways, to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[7]
Virgin Atlantic uses a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft and operates to destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia from its main hub at Heathrow and its secondary hub at Manchester. The airline also operates a seasonal service from Edinburgh. Virgin Atlantic aircraft consist of three cabins: Economy, Premium (formerly Premium economy)[8] and Upper Class (business).
In July 2017, Virgin Atlantic announced its intention to form a joint venture with Air France-KLM, but in December 2019, it was announced that the joint venture would not include a stake in the company.[9]
On 5 May 2020, it was announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline would lay off 3,000 staff, reduce the fleet size to 35 by the summer of 2022, retire the Boeing 747-400s[10] and would not resume operations from Gatwick following the pandemic.[11]
Virgin Atlantic filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York on 4 August 2020, as part of a £1.2billion private refinancing package.[12][13] The airline joined the SkyTeam airline alliance in March 2023.[14]
History
Origins
Virgin Atlantic has its origins in a joint endeavour by Randolph Fields, an American-born lawyer, and Alan Hellary, a former chief pilot for British private airline Laker Airways. Following the collapse of Laker Airways in 1982, Fields and Hellary decided to establish a new company, initially named British Atlantic Airways, as a successor. Reportedly, Fields had formed a concept for an airline that would operate between London and the Falkland Islands during June 1982, when the Falklands War had just finished.[15]
However, it was soon determined that the short runway at Port Stanley Airport, and the time it would take to improve it, would render a route to the Falklands commercially unviable; thus, the idea of such a service was dropped. In its place, Hellary and Fields commenced efforts to secure a licence to operate a route between Gatwick Airport, London and John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City. During May 1983, a three-day inquiry was conducted, which chose to reject the application following objections from British Airways, British Caledonian
Corporate affairs
Offices
Virgin Atlantic's head office, known as The VHQ, is located on a business park in Crawley, England, near Gatwick Airport[67] and also houses the corporate offices of Virgin Holidays.[68] The company operates several offices and call centres around the United Kingdom, including a large office in Swansea, Wales, which is a base for reservations, sales, baggage claims and tracing, 'live chat' web support and a customer relations department.[69]
International offices are located at Atlanta, Barbados, Greater Delhi, Johannesburg, Lagos and Shanghai.[70][71]
Destinations
Codeshare agreements
Virgin Atlantic has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[140]
- Aeroméxico
- Air France (Joint Venture Partner)
- Air New Zealand
- China Eastern Airlines[141]
- Delta Air Lines
Fleet
The A330-300 is a wide-body airliner manufactured by Airbus. The oldest model in the fleet, the first was delivered in April 2011, with older aircraft due to be retired and replaced by the A330-900 from 2027. Virgin Atlantic operates 7 of these aircraft as of June 2025.[151]
The A330-900, part of the Airbus A330neo family, is a newer, more fuel efficient version of the original A330ceo. The first was delivered in October 2022,[152] In July 2024, Virgin Atlantic placed an order for an additional 7 aircraft, with deliveries due from 2027.[153]
The A350-1000 XWB is a wide-body airliner manufactured by Airbus. Virgin Atlantic took delivery of its first A350 in August 2019.[154]
The 787-9 Dreamliner is a wide-body airliner manufactured by Boeing. The only Boeing model currently in the fleet, Virgin's first Dreamliner was delivered in October 2014.
Livery
Virgin Atlantic's first aircraft were painted with a "Eurowhite" design with a red stripe through the centre of the main deck windows. The engines were metallic silver and the tail red with the logo in white. In the 1990s, the refreshed design was introduced, removing the centre red stripe through the windows, engines were painted red, the Virgin Atlantic titles in grey were added along the main fuselage, and the 'Flying Lady' was introduced to the nose area.[157]
In October 2006, with the delivery of G-VRED, Virgin Atlantic introduced a new design, with the fuselage painted in metallic silver and a revised tail fin, with red and purple features and the logo. Near the nose of each aircraft is a pin-up girl, the "Scarlet Lady", carrying a Union flag, which was designed by British artist Ken White, who modelled the motif on the World War II pin-ups of Alberto Vargas – hence the naming one of the fleet Varga Girl (in this case, an A340-600 registered G-VGAS).[97]
Each aircraft has a name, usually feminine, such as Ladybird, Island Lady, and Ruby Tuesday, but some are linked to registrations (e.g. G-VFIZ became Bubbles). A couple are commemorative names (e.g. G-VEIL—Queen of the Skies—which was named by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 April 2004, marking the centenary of the Entente Cordiale; this frame exited the fleet in April 2016. In January 2023, a new airframe — an Airbus A330-900 registered G-VEII — was christened Queen of the Skies in honour of the monarch).[158]
Incidents and accidents
Virgin Atlantic is considered to have a strong safety reputation. Since the airline's founding in 1984, it has never suffered a complete hull-loss incident or a passenger fatality.[167]
- On 5 November 1997, after numerous attempts to shake free the jammed main landing gear of an Airbus A340-300 (G-VSKY) failed, the aircraft en route from Los Angeles to Heathrow made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport. The aircraft sustained major damage to the undersides of engines one, two, and four, which made contact with the runway surface during landing. The runway surface was also damaged and several runway lights were broken as the right main landing gear wheels broke up during the deceleration. The aircraft was evacuated safely. Two crew members and five passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation.[168]
- On 8 February 2005, on board an Airbus A340-600 aircraft (G-VATL) en route from Hong Kong to Heathrow, the fuel control computer system caused a loss of automatic fuel transfer between tanks. The pilots diverted to Amsterdam and landed safely. The interim accident report made four safety recommendations addressed to the primary certification bodies for large transport category aircraft (EASA and the FAA), advising on the need for a low-fuel warning system for large aircraft.[169]
See also
- Air transport in the United Kingdom
- List of airlines in the United Kingdom
- Transport in the United Kingdom
External links
References
- IATA - Virgin Atlantic retrieved 4 July 2023^
- Virgin Atlantic Board Announces New CEO 13 October 2025^
- Virgin Atlantic Directors Virgin Atlantic, 2013, retrieved 1 August 2013^