Overview
Established in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airlines actually commenced operations on June 22, 1984, to be more specific. Its primary hubs are situated at London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The airline’s focus city is Manchester Airport. With the Flying Club for its frequent flyer program, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is actually its member lounge. The airline’s fleet size is not really that large, just amounting to 38 aircraft units. An additional of 21 aircraft units is included, if you consider the number of orders made here. Still, under the parent company of Virgin Group based in Crawley, England, this fleet size is more than adequate to handle flights and services to 30 destinations worldwide.
Company Profile
Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. is actually the complete operational name of Virgin Atlantic, which is the preferred short name of the founders themselves as well as its many clients. British Richard Branson’s Virgin Group owns 51% of the airline while the remaining 49% is owned by Singapore Airlines. The airline operates flights between the United Kingdom and the USA, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, as well as Australia. All of these flights come from its main bases located at London Gatwick and London Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic does have a smaller base located at Manchester Airport. By the calendar year 2007, Virgin Atlantic can say that it has carried roughly 5.1 million passengers. Annual profits can even be pegged at approximately £46.8 million, translating to a turnover of £2.14 million.
Virgin Atlantic Codeshare Agreements
Over the years, Virgin Atlantic has established codeshare agreements with several airline companies. These include Air Jamaica, Air China, BMI, Jet Airways, Continental Airways, South African Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Blue.
Virgin Atlantic Airline Partners
Apart from the airlines that Virgin Atlantic has established codeshare agreements with, it has established several partnership alliances as well. These are with the following airlines: Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Gulf Air, LIAT, Scandinavian Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, and US Airways.
Virgin Atlantic Fleet
As of December 2008, the following aircraft models comprise the fleet of Virgin Atlantic: Airbus A340-300, Airbus A340-600, Airbus A380-800, Boeing 747-400, and Boeing 787-9.
Virgin Atlantic Destinations
More than half of the airline’s flights operate from London Heathrow. The remainder of which operate from either London Gatwick or Manchester Airport. There is one seasonal flight though that operates from Glasgow International Airport. These destinations include:
- Africa: Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, and South Africa
- East Asia: China and Japan
- South Asia: India
- Southwest Asia: United Arab Emirates
- Europe: United Kingdom
- USA: California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C.
- Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico
- Oceania: Australia
