Virgin Atlantic bets on 'tremendous opportunities' in India; eyes more cargo biz

New Delhi, Jun 3 (PTI) British airline Virgin Atlantic is betting big on the "tremendous opportunities" in the Indian market and expects to carry more cargo from the country as business activities are set to rise with the India-UK free trade agreement.

The carrier, which has been flying to India for 25 years, currently operates five flights daily from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to London Heathrow.

"We bet big on India... it is the second largest market for Virgin Atlantic now behind the United States... it (India) is a very special place that we feel has tremendous opportunities," the airline's CEO Shai Weiss told PTI Videos.

Since launching flights between London Heathrow and Delhi in July 2000, India is now Virgin Atlantic's third largest market and has grown from zero to one million seats each year.

The airline has a codeshare partnership with IndiGo. Generally, a codeshare partnership allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carrier on a single ticket.

As part of efforts to expand international air connectivity options for travellers to and from India, Virigin Atlantic, IndiGo, Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM have also announced a partnership.

India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets.

About plans for operating new routes, Weiss said it is mainly a matter of demand.

"If the opportunity is right and we have planes and the slots that we throw, expect us to expand. For now, we have got to make those million seats that we have flying to and from India," he noted.

India and the United Kingdom entering into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is set to boost business activities between the two countries and that will also provide a significant tailwind for the cargo business of Virgin Atlantic.

"We are very pleased with the announcement (India-UK FTA) and the cooperation between the two countries... we do have a very, very big cargo operation. It goes into the belly of the planes," Weiss said.

The airline does not operate freighters.

"Every flight that we fly from here to the UK..., we try and take cargo. And, of course, connect it also into North America and the US. So it is a big operation for us," the Virgin Atlantic chief said.

When asked whether the airline expects to carry more cargo in the wake of the India-UK FTA, Weiss replied in the affirmative.

"Of course, I expect the FTA to promote business between our two countries. And we're here to serve and connect... cargo, leisure and business," he said.

In a recent release, the airline said that with five daily services, Virgin Atlantic Cargo offers over 53.4 million kilograms of space to and from India, a 356 per cent increase in capacity versus 2019.

Everything that the airline does is with an Indian flavour, Weiss said and stressed that it wants to stand out by "providing a homage to the local traditions of India".

In response to a query on how much of a worry is tariff uncertainty, Weiss said airlines and travel companies are unfortunately used to uncertainty.

"If you look at, of course, (there were) 9-11, the global financial crisis, Brexit and pandemic and now tariff wars.

"Our job is to continue to focus on our guests, make them happy, make them smile. It's that simple. So we've continued to do that day in and day out safely. That's our job. And things will settle down and we'll see where the world goes," he noted.

About the supply chain situation, Weiss said Virgin Atlantic does not have deliveries of planes this year.

"And we have seen issues, of course, impacting engine availability and aircraft availability. But thankfully, Virgin Atlantic is in a very good position. We've had minor, minor delays.

"Of course, we expect all our partners to do their best to get things on time and on budget to the places where we need it," he said.

"More of the same... (and) build strong partnerships... and continue to grow," Weiss said on what can be expected in the near term. PTI RAM MBI HVA