Virgin Atlantic celebrates 16 years of warm African welcomes

 

Virgin Atlantic is today celebrating sixteen years of flying between Lagos and London – helping over three million customers enjoy holidays, business trips and visit friends and family in the UK and beyond.

The airline celebrated by surprising passengers a birthday party at check in with balloons, banners and bigger birthday smiles, the celebrations did not stop there, passengers were also treated to birthday cake at 38 000ft .

 

Since 2001 Sir Richard Branson’s iconic airline has welcomed around 3 million customers on board, served up over five million glasses of bubbly at 38,000ft and played over 7 million hours of entertainment.

 

Virgin Atlantic has been investing in Nigeria in 2017 – introducing a brand new ticket desk in Lagos earlier this year to make it easier to purchase tickets, adding Nigerian inspired dishes on board, and is set to become the first airline to offer Wi-Fi between Lagos and the UK later this summer.

 

Back in 2001 Virgin Atlantic launched with the route with seven services per week service using Boeing 7470200, and today the airline operates daily flights between Murtala Mohammed International Airport and London Heathrow with an Airbus A340-600. The aircraft is one of the quietest in the sky, and has adding even more seats for customers and cargo space to support the economy.  On board flights Virgin Atlantic offers a choice of Upper Class, Premium Economy and economy cabins with hundreds of hours of the latest inflight entertainment, and complimentary food and drink.

 

Samuel Lindfield, Head of Nigeria and West Africa says: “We’re immensely proud to have served the Nigerian people for the past 16 years, and since moving to the country I’ve met some of the most warm, friendly and resilient people in the world.

“At Virgin Atlantic, we’re exceptionally fortunate to have some of the best people in the business supporting our West African network. In the early hours of the morning, while our customers are cruising at 36,000ft over the Sahara on route to Lagos, our people are making their way to the airport to offer a warm African welcome to customers traveling on business or visiting a much-missed relative.

 “As we look forward to the future, we remain as committed as ever to serving Nigeria and its wonderful community. Like the Harmattan and ‘Rainy Season’ there will always be challenges, but we have a dedicated team focused on delivering unrivalled customer service, and reliable flights for all our Nigerian customers for many years to come.”

With Nigeria’s population expected to grow to between the 3^rd and 4^th largest in the World by 2050 aviation will continue to play a key role in its’ success and development.  Virgin Atlantic continues to be at the forefront of the aviation industry and recently announced a $4.4 billion order for 12 A350-1000 aircraft. It is part of the airline’s commitment to a fleet modernisation program which will see 50 percent of Virgin Atlantic’s aircraft replaced in a six year period – creating one of the world’s youngest and most carbon efficient fleets.