Virgin Atlantic celebrates 25 years
June 22, 2009
Virgin Atlantic is today celebrating its 25th birthday by recreating the inaugural flight from London Heathrow to New York on July 22, 1984.
As part of the celebrations at Heathrow Airport before departure, Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, was joined on the wing of the Boeing 747-400 Virgin Atlantic aircraft by supermodel Kate Moss to wish the airline a happy birthday.
"I am so proud of what we have achieved in the last 25 years," said Branson. "It is a tribute to the staff of Virgin Atlantic that we are in the leading position we are in today. It seems a long time ago that we took that first flight in 1984, and so much has been achieved since then. We would like to thank the millions of travellers that have put their faith in us and the thousands of staff who have created such a great airline."
The airline also received a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "I'm delighted to congratulate Virgin Atlantic on your 25th anniversary. Britain is rightly proud of having the world's most innovative and competitive airlines.
"Virgin Atlantic and Richard Branson's vision and pioneering spirit have changed the global airline business over the last 25 years. People can now afford to fly to places they previously only dreamt of. Aviation underpins our economic well-being. Virgin Atlantic is now also at the forefront of developing new technologies to meet the challenge of climate change. May this pioneering spirit continue throughout your second quarter century."
Since its launch in 1984, Virgin Atlantic has served more than 65 million travellers.
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