The airline has so far taken delivery of three A350-1000s as part of Virgin Atlantic’s US$4.4bn order for 12 A350s. A fourth aircraft will join the fleet in December followed by phased deliveries of the remainder in 2020-21.
On its launch trans-Atlantic route between London Heathrow and New York JFK, the A350 has increased average cargo capacity to 27 tonnes on every flight. It has already significantly exceeded this average figure, however, with a record payload of 41,166 kilogrammes.
Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “When we placed our order for the A350-1000 we knew it was going to be an outstanding addition to our fleet in terms of both passenger experience and its cargo potential. It is already more than living up to this expectation and is going to be a fantastic asset for us and our customers on our busiest trans-Atlantic route, especially when we see higher cargo volumes and more demand returning to the market, as well as on other prime cargo routes in our network from summer 2020.”
Cargo customers flying their goods to and from Los Angeles and Johannesburg with Virgin can expect similar improvements when the A350-1000 commences operations on these routes next summer. From the end of March, A350s will take over seven of the carrier’s 17 weekly Heathrow to Los Angeles services, with daily flights to Johannesburg. Routes to San Francisco and Lagos, Nigeria, will also be operated as part of the summer schedule.
Furthermore, the new A350s’ Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines are not only quieter and more fuel-efficient than Virgin Atlantic’s current 747-400 aircraft but also emit 30% less carbon dioxide. Virgin Atlantic’s fleet transformation programme will see all of its planes replaced over a teen-year period.