This month marked the twenty fifth anniversary of Virgin Atlantic’s first direct service to Barbados. The carrier celebrated its history of flying to Bridgetown with a special welcome event, complete with cake and gifts for passengers. Special guests on the event included Sir Richard Brandson and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley.
A journey together
Virgin Atlantic first took flight to Barbados in 1998. Within the years since, the airline has shown its commitment to Barbados as a destination through its continuous expansion of capability and routes to the island. Virgin Atlantic introduced its current direct service from London Heathrow to Barbados In 2017. Inside a 12 months, Virgin Atlantic offered as much as 11 flights per week to Barbados from three major gateways: Gatwick, Manchester, and Heathrow.
For the reason that starting of the 12 months, Barbados welcomed over 400,000 visitors. The UK continues to make up a good portion of the inbound travel with over 150,000 arrivals, indicating that demand for Barbados as a destination continues to be high for the UK market. Cheryl Carter, Director of Barbados Tourism Marketing UK, commented on how vital Virgin Atlantic’s presence is to the country’s tourism industry:
“We extend our because of Virgin Atlantic for its support of Barbados over the past 25 years. Virgin has turn into an integral a part of the Barbados experience, welcoming countless visitors to the island’s pristine beaches, vibrant culture, and warm hospitality.
“The airline’s role in facilitating tourism and business connections between the UK and Barbados is one which can’t be overstated. Virgin Atlantic has actually been instrumental in driving growth and prosperity for the island.”
Virgin Atlantic passengers traveling to Barbados from London on Wednesday, twenty seventh September, were treated to a special send-off from the BTMI UK team, complete with gifts and cake. The flight guest list even included the founding father of Virgin Atlantic, Sir Richard Branson. Upon arrival at Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Barbados, the passengers were serenaded with live music and entertainment and presented with memorabilia to mark the historic flight.
Barbados as a regional hub
Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Business Officer Juha Jarvinen shared a few of the carrier’s exciting plans for the country on the celebratory welcome event. Barbados, together with Los Angeles and Recent York, was one in all the airline’s top three destinations to return following the COVID-19 pandemic. Virgin Atlantic now has eleven weekly services from London Heathrow and 4 from Manchester Airport.
The carrier has also moved to determine Barbados as a region hub within the Eastern Caribbean. The airline has launched quite a few fifth-freedom routes inside the region to assist facilitate activity between the islands.Jarvien revealed that they were only the primary steps, with more regional connectivity to follow:
The airline is ready to introduce its Airbus A330neo on flights to Barbados in the approaching months.