Virgin Atlantic wants to challenge IAG’s dominance at London’s Heathrow Airport by providing cargo customers with more choice.
Heathrow handles over 70% of UK air cargo, a figure that is projected to grow dramatically by 2040.
“At this pivotal moment for the UK economy, it is vital that our cargo customers as well as manufacturers, importers and exporters have access to the widest choice of routes and services and enjoy all the benefits that fair competition brings.” Dominic Kennedy, managing director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo.
Virgin Atlantic plans to serve 103 domestic, European and long-haul destinations in 2020.
“Britain, and those who travel and trade with it, deserve better than this. Air passengers and cargo customers need a choice and Virgin Atlantic is ready to deliver when Heathrow expands.” Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic
Prime cargo routes such as Accra, Ghana; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Austin, Raleigh Durham and San Diego in the USA and Osaka, Japan will receive more options.
Virgin Atlantic says its plans address the need for strong, effective competition and while reducing costs for passengers, it will also enable freight forwarders, exporters and importers to benefit from greater choice.
The UK government’s Aviation Strategy Green Paper aims to allocate additional capacity at Heathrow to facilitate competition and improve connectivity to underserved or unserved routes.
