Virgin Atlantic’s biggest focus presently is to achieve the position of the most loved travel company and maintain sustainable profitability. Alex McEwan, Country Manager, South Asia, Virgin Atlantic, elucidates the strength of the Indian aviation sector, the rationale behind satisfied customers, the airline’s growth, and network expansion plans, and how sustainability remains central to the airline.
– Prashant Nayak
India’s aviation sector is poised for phenomenal and healthy growth in terms of passengers, aircraft, and airports as experts say the sector will continue to experience robust growth owing to the surge in travel demand.
“India is Virgin Atlantic’s third largest market after UK and USA, and we underline its long-term importance for us. It is a great time to be associated with India’s aviation growth index. The market is already sizeable, with the thriving domestic market serving the world’s most populous nation. All prognostications direct to further international growth which will propel India to be the third-largest aviation market within the next couple of years. The last four years have witnessed our growth from one direct daily service to India, to planning four direct daily services in 2024, with our launch of Bengaluru next Summer. This is a growth of more than 250 per cent in the number of seats offered,” says Alex.
The inordinate growth in demand across a variety of segments shows that people have a strong avidity to travel, be it students, VFRs, holidaymakers, or corporates. The growth of Virgin Atlantic confirms and reinstates its strength in the performance they are witnessing from the Indian market. Alex is confident that the robust and strong market can support multiple airlines, which is indeed great news for customers who benefit from extra choice and competition.
Besides flight safety and enhancing service quality, customer satisfaction is a pivotal aspect for airlines. In living up to the customer expectations, Alex says, “A premium, personalised experience for our customers at every step of the journey is of paramount importance and fundamental to our vision. We aspire to become the most loved travel company, and this is what we have pioneered since day one. Our customers have always loved flying with us and frequently comment on the quality of service and warmth from our crew. We have been operating in India for nearly 23 years and we understand the pulse of the market and our customers’ preferences exceedingly well.”
This year Virgin Atlantic has operated a combination of A350-1000 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft to India. The cutting-edge technology of these crafts instils confidence in their customers as they are prepared to enjoy the best onboard experience available aboard the flight with Virgin Atlantic.
Considering the huge competition in air travel, frequent flyers for every airline remain an important business segment that every airline aspires to address. “Our loyalty programme, Flying Club has a variety of benefits for frequent flyers. Last year, we expanded the number of guaranteed reward seats available on each flight, to give our customers more opportunity to use the points they earn with us or our partners. In March this year, we joined the global alliance SkyTeam as the first and only UK member airline. Our membership of SkyTeam offers members of Flying Club more opportunities to earn and redeem points across all member airlines, as well as access a network of 750 airport lounges,” informs Alex.
A distinctive measure that airlines nowadays set themselves apart from their competitors is their commitment to sustainability. “As an airline founded and committed to innovation, we proudly proclaim to have won the competition to fly the first ever net zero, 100 per cent SAF flight across the Atlantic in 2023. At Virgin Atlantic, we are proud and happy to be an industry leader in sustainability. To achieve this feat, we have modernised our fleet, and multi-billion dollars have been invested to transform our fleet into what is now one of the youngest and greenest in the sky. We will be taking the delivery of 12 A330neos over the next 5 years, and they will replace older, less fuel-efficient aircraft to further strengthen our sustainability credentials. Sustainability goes beyond just our fleet choices, it permeates every aspect of our business,” apprises Alex.
Stressing on the future network expansion plans, Alex reveals, “We have an exciting twelve months of growth ahead. This Winter, we will launch flights from London, Heathrow to Maldives and Dubai. Next Summer, we will launch flights to South America. This will be the very first time for us, as we are flying a daily direct service from London, Heathrow to Sao Paulo. In India, we are thrilled to continue growing, and Bengaluru will become our third destination and fourth daily service to India. Launching in Summer 2024, the addition of this new route implies that we will offer 500,000 seats in total each year between the UK and India.”
