Virgin Atlantic will begin scheduled flights with its first Airbus A350-1000 on September 10, 2019, on its London Heathrow – New York JFK route with six weekly rotations.
According to Airlinerwatch, the flights are already open for sale on the airline’s corporate website.
The British budget operator has eight Airbus A350-1000 on order from the European aircraft manufacturer. The first four units are set for delivery by the end of this year. They all will be operated on the London Heathrow – New York JFK route.
The remaining eight aircraft are expected to join the British carrier’s fleet in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The A350-1000s will replace the older Boeing 747s in the Virgin’s fleet.
Virgin Atlantic currently serves on its Heathrow – New York JFK route with its A330-300s and A340-600s six times a day. The rivals British Airways serves on the same route eight times a day, American Airlines four times, and Delta Air Lines two times.
Virgin’s A350-100 is configured to accommodate 44 passengers in Business Class, 56 in Premium and 235 in Economy.
The aircraft made its first test flight at the end of May in Toulouse, France.
