Virgin Atlantic Airways was founded in 1984 in London. Initially, domestic flights were offered within the UK however expansion was funded by owner Richard Branson and other Virgin enterprises. In 2000, 49% of the company was sold to Singapore Airlines with the remaining 51% still owned by the Virgin Group. Virgin Atlantic became the first major competition for British Airways, being granted a license to fly out of London Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in the world. With around 35 destinations worldwide, Virgin offers a full network of services for passengers. Virgin Atlantic has a series of membership schemes and frequent flyer programs depending on the class of seat you book. Virgin has code shares with a range of airlines including BMI, Continental Airlines and Singapore Airlines as well as commercial partnerships with Gulf Air, Scandinavian Airlines and US Airways among others.
Airline Information Virgin Atlantic
- Founded: 1984
- Location: Crawley, UK
- Owner(s): Richard Branson´s Virgin Group (51%) and Singapore Airlines(49%)
- Fleet Size: 37
- Number of Destinations: 35
- Destinations: 35 international destinations located on 6 continents
- Average Aircraft Age: 8.6 years
- Type of Aircraft: Airbus A340-300 / A340-600, Boeing 747-400
- Frequent Flyer Program: Virgin Atlantic Red Membership, Virgin Atlantic Silver Membership, Virgin Atlantic Gold Membership
- Features: The first airline in using the Herringbone-configuration
Note: Information updated June 2010. Please visit the airline's official website for up to date information.