Where Is The Virgin Atlantic Airline Headquartered?
Virgin Atlantic Airlines is one of the most leading carriers in the United Kingdom. The airline currently flies to Asia, North America, Africa, and the Caribbean from its main hubs at Gatwick and Heathrow airports in London. The airline also operates domestic services to destinations in the United Kingdom, such as Edinburgh and Manchester. Virgin Atlantic is currently owned by Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Group, with the controlling stake of each amounting to 49%, 31 %, and 20%, respectively. The headquarters of Virgin Atlantic Airlines is currently based in Crawley in the United Kingdom, which is near to Gatwick airport. Its current headquarters also serve as the head office of Virgin Holidays, another member of the Virgin Group. The airline operates many other call centers and offices within the United Kingdom. The office at Swansea is tasked with handling sales and reservations, baggage claims, customer relations, and web support.
History of Gatwick Airport
- Virgin Atlantic Airlines has a long and fruitful history at Gatwick airport. The airline’s first flight was from Gatwick airport to the Newark Liberty International Airport in June 1984 on a leased Boeing 747 that was christened “Maiden Voyager.” The airline also operated the scheduled routes that followed from Gatwick airport to destinations such as Boston, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Orlando. By 1991, the company had managed to secure authorization from the British Airports Authority to operate at Heathrow Airport. The airline had also managed to snag some underutilized BA slots at Narita airport, Tokyo. Virgin Atlantic Airlines is currently eyeing additional slots at Heathrow after the planned expansion of the airport is completed. Once acquired, the airline will experience a considerable increase in its global route network.
North American headquarters
The company recently shifted the office of its North American Operations from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Atlanta, where it settled on a campus belonging to Delta Air Lines, one of its biggest partners. The company now has about 40 employees at its North American head Office inside the campus near the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The airline’s primary destinations in the United States include Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, New York City, Newark, Orlando, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
Other principal international offices and contact centers
Virgin Atlantic has also established several international offices across the globe to affirm its position as a global airline. Some of its international offices are in Hong Kong, Dubai, Barbados, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Greater Delhi, and Lagos.
Looking into the future
The company recently announced plans for a significant expansion of its international and domestic network. In its envisaged plans, the airline seeks to increase its network with an additional 84 new destinations. Some of the new international destinations might include Sydney, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Buenos Aires, Kunming, Beijing, Singapore, Bogota, and Mexico City. The plans are, however, hitched on the hope that the airline will obtain additional slots at Heathrow airport.
