After delaying the introduction of the Airbus A330neo into its fleet, Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural flight on the aircraft will take place tomorrow.

LHR-BOS

Flight VS11 is scheduled to depart London tomorrow at 17:30 local time and has an arrival time of 20:15 in Boston. The first Airbus A330neo in Virgin’s fleet is nicknamed Billie Holiday and, according to the airline, is runway ready. The anticipation for tomorrow’s fight has been building up for quite some time now, as Virgin will be the first airline in the United Kingdom to fly the A330neo.

As reported by Simple Flying exactly one month ago, the inaugural flight was delayed 15 days, from October 12 to October 27. As with almost anything in the aviation industry, things could change anytime. But everything seems to be going well for Virgin, expecting another three A330neos soon in preparation for its winter schedule.

If tomorrow’s inaugural flight is anything like Virgin’s previous aircraft and route inaugurations or route resumptions, passengers will certainly have a day to remember. Virgin is known for throwing parties on occasions such as these, surprising passengers with food, and showgirls.

Billie Holiday

Early in September, Virgin revealed its very first A330neo, fresh from the paint shop in Toulouse. The airline announced naming its aircraft after Billie Holiday, a jazz singer and vocal legend. Billie Holiday took its first test flight on August 14 at 10:42 from Toulouse and flew northwest over the Bay of Biscay. During its almost four-hour flight, the aircraft flew patterns over the water and then crossed over the French region of Brittany before returning to Toulouse.

Three years after placing the original order at the 2019 Paris Air Show, Virgin will enter the first of the 16 A330neos on order into service. Virgin is set to receive all 16 aircraft by 2026 and another three this year. Eight of the aircraft will be purchased outright by the airline, and the remaining eight will be leased from Air Lease Corporation.

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Winter Schedule

Virgin plans to use its A330neo aircraft on five routes this winter. The routes include Tampa, a brand new destination for Virgin, and the destination that will see the A330neo most often.

Boston, Virgin’s inaugural destination with the A330neo, has been serviced by the A330-300 on the route from London and Boston. The A330-300 has a capacity for 264 passengers, just two more than the A330neo.

The schedule is as follows:

1. Boston: A330neo from October 27th (VS11/VS12); rising to 6x weekly A330neo from November, alongside 1x by A330-300; B787-9 on November 3rd/8th/22nd and December 6th
2. Tampa: A330neo from November 2nd (VS129/VS130), sub-daily but rising to 1x daily from November 27th; A350-1000 one-off on November 9th
3. New York JFK: A330neo one-off on November 7th (VS9/VS10), then up to 1x daily from March 6th (VS3/VS4)
4. Miami: A330neo from November 13th (VS5/VS6), sub-daily, but then up to 1x daily from 1x daily A330neo from December 5th
5. Atlanta: A330neo on March 21st and 25th (VS103/VS104)

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  Virgin Atlantic

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  VS/VIR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport

  Year Founded:

  1984

  CEO:

  Shai Weiss

  Country:

  United Kingdom

• 

  London Heathrow Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  LHR-EGLL

  Country:

  United Kingdom

  CEO:

  John Holland-Kaye

  Passenger Count :

  19,392,178 (2021)

  Runways :

  09L/27R - 3,902m (12,802ft) | 09R/27L - 3,660m (12,008ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5

• 

  Boston Logan International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BOS/KBOS

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Lisa Wieland

  Passenger Count :

  12,635,325 (2020)

  Runways :

  4L/22R - 2,397m (7,864ft) | 4R/22L - 3,050m (10,006ft) | 9/27 - 2,134m (7,001ft) | 14/32 - 1,524m (5,000ft) | 15L/33R - 779m (2,555ft) | 15R/33L - 3,073m (10,082ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal A | Terminal B | Terminal C | Terminal E