• 

  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

With the iconic Boeing 747-400 no longer playing a role in Virgin Atlantic's long-haul passenger-carrying operations, the baton has been passed to the Airbus A350 when it comes to being the carrier's largest aircraft. The airline operates the family's -1000 variant, and we thought we'd take a look at this section of its fleet.

How many A350s does Virgin Atlantic fly?

According to data from ch-aviation.com, the Airbus A350-1000 presently accounts for nine of Virgin Atlantic's 37 aircraft, a proportion of just under 25%. They are comfortably the youngest aircraft in the carrier's fleet, with an average age of just 2.5 years old at the time of writing. Conversely, its Boeing 787-9s are 6.3 years old on average, with the figure for Virgin Atlantic's A330-300s being 10.6 years.

The most recent delivery took place in April 2022, when G-VLIB became the ninth A350-1000 to join Virgin Atlantic. The aircraft, which flew directly from Toulouse to London Heathrow on its delivery flight, bears the name Lady Emmeline, after women's rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst. Its registration is G-VLIB.

Prior to this aircraft's arrival, Virgin Atlantic's other A350s were delivered between August 2019 (G-VLUX) and November 2021 (G-VEVE). The airline also has five examples of the modern twinjet on order, which will bring its total fleet size for the type up to 14 aircraft. Deliveries of the type to Virgin Atlantic will conclude in 2024.

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A look at the aircraft's seating configuration

Being Virgin Atlantic's largest passenger-carrying aircraft by length (73.8 meters long vs 62.8 for the 787-9 and 63.7 for the A330-300), the Airbus A350-1000 correspondingly has the largest capacity in the airline's fleet. The carrier uses two seating configurations on the type, and both outrank the 787 and the A330.

The most common configuration, as seen on seven of the nine A350s, has space for 335 passengers. This consists of 44 Upper Class Suites, 56 premium economy recliners, and 235 standard economy class seats. The Upper Class suites are a new product laid out four-abreast, in contrast to the 1-1-1 setup that Simple Flying recently had the chance to sample on one of the carrier's 787s.

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic's higher-density configuration features just 16 Upper Class suites (four rows rather than 11), as well as the standard 56-seat premium economy section. The lack of Upper Class seating allows for a greater economy loading, with 325 seats in this class bringing the total capacity up to an impressive 397.

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Social areas

The two different seating configurations also correspond to the different social spaces found onboard Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A350s. The seven lower-density aircraft have an area known as The Loft for this purpose, which replaced the bar previously found at the rear of the next-generation widebody jet's Upper Class cabin.

Meanwhile, tucked away at the front of Upper Class onboard Virgin Atlantic's two higher-density A350s is an exclusive space for two known as The Booth. As Simple Flying reported at the time of its launch in April 2022, passengers using this area can enjoy a private dining experience, and even wine and cognac tasting.

What do you make of Virgin Atlantic's Airbus A350s? Have you ever flown on one? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!