Flight Club: Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Atlantic team land in Tampa
(Picture: Virgin Atlantic)Heathrow must provide an “absolutely stellar” service to passengers desperate to fly again as the pandemic ends, the boss one of the UK’s biggest airlines has said.
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said the airport needed to return to normal capacity as quickly as possible rather than “dampening supply” in an apparent desire to deliver greater financial benefits.
The airport, which has regained its position as the busiest in Europe, is expected to carry between 60 million and 62 million passengers this year – a quarter less than in 2019, before covid had a catastrophic effect on the airline industry.
Last week, Heathrow lifted a self-imposed cap of 100,000 passengers a day that had been imposed during the summer in a bid to limit the cancelled flights, queues and baggage chaos caused by a shortage of 25,000 staff.
But it said it was “unlikely to be able to return to pre-pandemic demand for a number of years, except at peak times”, despite making a £643 million profit this year.
Mr Weiss, speaking to the Evening Standard on Virgin’s inaugural flight from Heathrow to Tampa, its third destination in Florida, said Heathrow was downplaying the strength of returning passenger demand.
He said Virgin was ready for the peak Thanksgiving and Christmas season – and said Heathrow had had enough time to be similarly prepared.
“During the summer, [Heathrow chief executive] John Holland-Kaye said Heathrow returned to being the busiest airport in Europe,” he said.
“We should carry that forward and ensure that every single person who wants to fly out of Heathrow can and will. We are ready to operate and they should be as well.
“I’m glad they have removed the restrictions over the next few months – they are not necessary.
“Heathrow has a great responsibility here. It is the gateway to the United Kingdom. The responsibility is profound, just like we have a responsibility to our customers. They understand that.
“But dampening supply to win an economic argument and not doing everything in their power 18 months ago, 12 months ago and six months ago is simply not good enough.
“Now every single effort should not just be on enriching their already rich shareholders. It should be on providing absolutely stellar operational performance in the service of consumers.”
Virgin Atlantic has become increasingly reliant on Heathrow since closing its operation at Gatwick airport in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The firm, which also operates from Manchester, and from Edinburgh to Orlando in the summer, had to receive financial help from its “big brother” shareholder, the US carrier Delta Air Lines.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “For more than a year, we have been recruiting at record pace – building our own teams and helping partners, such as airlines and ground handlers, to connect local job seekers to their vacancies.
“Recovery for aviation remains a collective challenge. Every one of the 400 companies operating here has a role to play, and we will continue to bring everyone together to deliver for passengers this Christmas, and into next year.”
Mr Weiss said Virgin had exceeded its expectations this year, with revenue slightly above 2019 despite about 20 per cent less capacity.
The firm, founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984, wants to increase its US sales to 40 per cent of revenues at a time the weakness of the pound is attracting US travellers to London.
“Florida is the crown jewel in our operations in the United States,” Mr Weiss said. “People think of Tampa for the beautiful beaches but it’s also a very important hub for business.
“I have said many times, if you want to see the real King half-price, fly Virgin Atlantic. For US travellers and businesses, coming to the UK is really quite attractive.”
