Virgin Atlantic back at Gatwick after U-turn
Virgin Atlantic could go back to operating from Gatwick airport from next summer after a 18-month hiatus.
After being forced to leave the Sussex hub during the peak of the pandemic, the carrier has confirmed Gatwick flights will resume, the Times reported.
“We maintain our ambition to rebuild our presence at Gatwick as demand returns, revisiting a long, close and successful relationship with the airport, beginning with our maiden flight from Gatwick in 1984,” a company spokesperson said. “As travel restrictions are eased in further markets, we continue to see growing consumer confidence.”
The news came on the same day Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive Shai Wess joined forces with rival British Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and lambasted Heathrow airport for its decision to increase fees by 90 per cent.
The three stakeholders, writing to the Sunday Telegraph, said the airport is “back at its old tricks – using its dominant market position to enrich shareholders at the expense of travellers, airlines and the UK’s economy.”