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Virgin plans Australia launch for December
Virgin Atlantic has announced a launch date for its Australia service despite lacking formal approval from the European Commission.
Virgin says the flight will launch on December 7 between London and Sydney via Hong Kong, with a 90-minute stopover. Virgin has been trying to break onto the Kangaroo Route for some years but has only recently received approval to launch the UK-Hong Kong leg from UK and Hong Kong authorities.
However, the EC is yet to review the service. A spokesman told TravelMole.com that while the EC establishes new regulations that govern the way in which new flight services are negotiated between countries, Virgin will operate the service ‘without formal approval’.
He added: “There are hundreds of flights a month, including other services operated by Virgin, that have not formally been ratified by the Commission. Once the new regulations have come in it will be a case of the Commission going through the backlog of flights that have been launched in the meantime.
“We are not anticipating any problems with operating the service and will go ahead with the launch in December.”
Virgin plans to operate the route with an Airbus A340-600, which will have a configuration of 45 Upper Class Suites, 28 Premium Economy and 233 Economy seats. The aircraft will be replaced on the route by the Airbus A380, which will be the biggest plane in the world once it is launched in a few year’s time.
Virgin says tickets will go on sale later in the summer.
Virgin Atlantic chairman, Sir Richard Branson, said: “Australians have also been waiting for many years for the BA-Qantas duopoly to be broken and for new competition to be introduced.”
According to FT.com, British Airways and Qantas currently transport 60% of business travellers on the Kangaroo Route.
The announcement coincides with airline’s 20th anniversary. Virgin’s first flight was between Gatwick and New York Newark in 1984.
Report by Ginny McGrath
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