Virgin Atlantic to ‘Radically Adapt’ Operations, Relocating Gatwick Service to Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic is preparing to “radically adapt” its network and operations in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Among the proposed changes, Virgin said plans to rellocate operations from London’s Gatwick Airport to Heathrow, retire its 747-400 fleet, and cut more than 3,000 jobs, representing nearly one-third of the airline’s entire workforce.

“Following the pattern of previous crises, including 9/11 and the Global Financial Crisis, capacity across the aviation industry will significantly reduce, with recovery to pre-crisis levels expected to take up to three years,” said Yuli Thompson, Vice President- North America and International Sales for Virgin Atlantic, in a message to the airline’s travel partners.

“Uncertainty around when flying will resume, coupled with unprecedented market conditions brought on by the pandemic, has severely reduced revenues for the global aviation industry and Virgin Atlantic.”

In response to the threat plaguing the industry, the airline has taken significant action to preserve funds while still providing essential operations. It plans to relocate all operations from London’s Gatwick Airport, to London Heathrow. It will also immediately retire its fleet of seven 747-400s, while still planning to phase out its four A330-200s by early 2022, reducing its total overall fleet to 36. 

As of now, Virgin Atlantic is still providing service to London and Manchester from the U.S., and is allowing customers to rebook travel through May 31, 2022. Travelers can also choose to re-route on a Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Atlantic Codeshare flight to or from the original destination, or rebook to or from another destination. This policy applies to all booking classes on all routes throughout Virgin Atlantic’s international network, and for tickets booked with their transatlantic codeshare flights with Delta, Air France and KLM.