Virgin Atlantic : VS : VIR

Almost a decade after declaring that four engines were the only way to fly long haul with the introduction of his Airbus A340-600s, Sir Richard Branson finally joins the long-range twinjet club today (2 April) when Virgin Atlantic introduces its first A330-300 between Manchester and Orlando.


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The 314 seater, dubbed "Beauty Queen" and appropriately registered G-VSXY, is the first of 10 A330s that Virgin will receive over the next two years. They will be deployed on routes from the UK to the US East Coast, east and West Africa, the Middle East and India.

In a remarkable declaration of the twinjet's efficiency over its four-engined sister, the A340-300, Virgin says the A330s will burn "15% less fuel per seat".

Like the airline's 19 larger A340-600s, the A330s will all be powered by Rolls-Royce Trents, but half as many! When the A340-600 made its debut at Farnborough in July 2002, Virgin adorned the Trents with the slogan "4 engines 4 long haul". Branson said that Virgin had found that 18% of travellers would "go out of their way" to fly on four-engined aircraft. 10 years on, with sky-high fuel prices, the increasing penalty of flying a quad clearly makes it a no-brainer to use a twin if it can do the same job. Just compare the sales fortunes of the A340-600 and Boeing 777-300ER to see that.

Virgin's first two A330s will be operated on leisure routes in a two-class layout seating 59 passengers in premium economy and 255 in economy. The remainder will have a three-class configuration through the addition of Virgin's Upper Class business cabin. They all feature Panasonic's latest IFE kit using touch screen technology, and on-board email/texting from mobile devices will be introduced later this year.

The A330s are the first of a new wave of long-range twinjets joining the Virgin fleet, with orders also held for 15 Boeing 787s. But this does not signal the end of new four-engined airliners for Virgin though, as it also has six A380s on order.

Bien entendu ! Aussi, Virgin Atlantic pourra revenir vers Airbus pour des versions de l'A350-XWB !

Twelve-year contract

Virgin Atlantic has contracted with AFI KLM E&M for component support on its new A330 fleet, extending the long-standing relationship between the two partners.

The first aircraft was delivered in February 2011 with the last of the ten new aircraft being handed over in late 2012.

The deal involves component repair, pool access and a main base kit at London Heathrow.

Large-scale efforts by AFI KLM E&M

Being the main maintenance service provider for the Virgin Atlantic fleet, AFI KLM E&M benefited from the UK carrier's satisfaction with pre-existing engine, components and airframe structure maintenance for Virgin's Boeing 747-400 and A340 fleet.

To meet the new demands, AFI KLM E&M demonstrated its ability to adapt with a tailor-made offering in terms of cost, quality, on-time performance and logistic solutions.

Jeannot a écrit:Lu dans Air et Cosmos N° 2267 du 27 mai 2011

Offensive en Grande Bretagne

British Airways et Virgin Atlantic Airways sont depuis plusieurs semaines l'objet d'une intense offensive de la part des vendeurs de Boeing. Ces derniers cherchent à placer auprès des deux compagnies un certain nombre de 747-8 Intercontinental. Si Virgin Atlantic Airways a des priorités plus urgentes que l'achat de très gros porteurs, British Airways pourrait bien; comme Lufthansa, adhérer à l'argument du "vide de capacité entre 300 et 500 sièges" que développent les commerciaux de Boeing.

Contract includes long-term TotalCarea maintenance agreement

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced it has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines to power its new Airbus fleet of 10 A330-300s. The aircraft are due for delivery from early 2011.

The order, worth $720m, includes 10 sets of installed engines and three spare engines. To ensure that the engines remain at peak performance the contract also includes a long-term maintenance agreement.

Steve Ridgway, chief executive for Virgin Atlantic, commented; “Our Rolls Royce engine order signals our commitment to flying a modern fleet with the most fuel efficient technology available. Now is the right time for leading businesses to be placing orders like this so that companies, vital to the British economy, can protect jobs, grow and thrive in the future.”

The Trent 700 is the first engine in the highly successful Trent family. The 72,000lb thrust engine*** has lower maintenance costs, lower weight and better performance retention. With the lowest lifecycle fuel burn, lowest cumulative emissions and lowest noise levels the Trent 700 has the lowest environmental impact of any engine on the A330.

Mark King Rolls-Royce President – Civil Aerospace, said: "This order continues a long and successful relationship and we are pleased that Virgin Atlantic is again turning to Trent engine technology. We remain committed to delivering competitive advantage and fuel-efficient power to support their environmental, operational and economic requirements.”

In June 2009 Virgin Atlantic placed a $2.1bn order for 10 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Five aircraft will arrive in 2011 and five in 2012. The twin-engine plane, which can seat up to 270 passengers, will operate on many of Virgin Atlantic’s existing business and leisure routes worldwide and will assist future growth before the arrival of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2013. The A330 aircraft is nearly 10% more fuel efficient than the A340-300 aircraft as well as delivering lower maintenance costs****** and substantial cargo capacity.

Each of the A330-300 aircraft will feature the next generation of seats, which will be lighter and even more comfortable than those in the air today. Every passenger will benefit from a dynamic new entertainment hub, including USB ports and power sockets in Upper Class and Premium Economy cabins, which will set the new standard in in-flight systems. All passengers will also be able to send and receive emails and texts on their mobile devices. Virgin Atlantic will be the first UK long-haul airline to roll-out this service across its fleet.

Virgin Atlantic has a fleet of 38 aircraft – 19 A340-600s, 6 A340-300s and 13 B747-400s. Rolls- Royce currently supplies Virgin Atlantic with the engines on its A340-600 fleet and has been selected to supply engines for its 15 787s which are currently on order.

• son manque de connaissances et de compréhension sur ce type de sujet,
  
• son aveuglement, dû à son parti-pris puérile et stérile, et sa mauvaise foi !
  

Il faut professionnaliser les arguments.

Virgin, BA Express Interest In BMI

Virgin Atlantic Airways still has “close interest in a combination with BMI,” the airline said in a statement on Monday, raising the number of potential buyers to at least two.

The comment comes after Lufthansa said recently that it is looking at partnerships for or an outright sale of BMI. Lufthansa has hired a bank, believed to be Morgan Stanley, as an advisor in the process. It also comes after International Airlines Group (IAG) stated that it “has made no secret of its intereste in acquiring BMI,” but that “the ball is now in Lufthansa’s hands.”

Lufthansa was forced to take over BMI in 2009 as a result of a 1999 shareholder agreement between it, SAS and then-majority owner Sir Michael Bishop. Over the past two years, the airline has made in excess of €350 million ($477 million) in operating losses in spite of significant efforts to turn it around. BMI is facing low-fare carrier competition on its short-haul network and it is suffering from a collapse in demand in its medium-haul network to the Middle East and North Africa. Lufthansa Executive Board member Stefan Lauer said recently that BMI’s position had structural flaws. Lufthansa does not rule out remaining a minority shareholder in the carrier, if a takeover in one move is not achievable. It could also sell separately the various units—the mainline carrier, low-fare carrier BMIbaby and BMI Regional.

BMI’s greatest attraction lies in its London-Heathrow slot pool. It has close to 10% of the slots at Europe’s busiest airport, second only to IAG-unit British Airways. BA could use the slots to expand its own long-haul network.

Virgin Atlantic has said in the past that it would like to combine with BMI to form a hub-and-spoke-network. But analysts say the two networks don’t fit given BMI’s exposure to medium-haul niche markets. However, RBS estimated in a recent study that the airline’s slots are worth £420 million ($6.8 million).

Virgin’s own future is unclear, however. Singapore Airlines has made public its intentions to sell its 49% stake. And founder Sir Richard Branson appears to be willing to sell part of his 51% with the airline also joining a global alliance. Lufthansa has been reluctant to allow the Virgin/BMI combination, which has already been on the agenda in the past, mainly because it does not believe the new airline would be able to compete with BA.

Virgin Atlantic Will Join an Alliance Soon, Says Richard Branson

Virgin Atlantic Airways, the last big trans-Atlantic carrier to remain independent of the three airline alliances that define the industry, will join one in the near future, Virgin founder [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tells Forbes. “There is likely to be an announcement of an alliance coming very soon,” he says.

Virgin has stayed out of the alliance system until now, preferring to write bilateral codesharing agreements with other airlines. Branson declined to say which alliance Virgin would join, but it is unlikely to be OneWorld, the group that includes Virgin arch-competitor British Airways. That leaves Star Alliance, anchored by United Continental Holdings and Lufthansa, or SkyTeam, anchored by Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, as possibilities. Of those two, Virgin Atlantic’s operations are more closely aligned with Star Alliance: the airline is 49% owned by Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines, has expressed interest in buying BMI from Lufthansa, and includes nine Star Alliance members among its partners.

In late 2010, Virgin Atlantic hired Deutsche Bank to advise it on merger possibilities. Sky News reported that [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to help it woo Virgin, but that attempt, along with efforts by some other airlines, appears to have fizzled. Yesterday Virgin Atlantic [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], another airline with a hub at Heathrow.

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman declined to comment on the airline’s alliance talks, writing in a statement that “Deutsche Bank is looking at all our options, which includes the world of alliances. We are one of the very last independent carriers with an unrivaled position in the industry which is why we are carrying out this strategic review.”

Virgin Atlantic was one of four airlines allowed to fly between London’s Heathrow airport and the United States until the EU-US Open Skies agreement opened those routes to competition in 2008. Its market position has been further challenged by a new round of consolidation in the airline industry–particularly a 2010 agreement between American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia that coordinates those carriers’ trans-Atlantic service. Membership in an alliance could feed traffic into Virgin’s network and give it a boost with business travelers who try to keep their frequent-flier earnings consolidated within an alliance to enjoy perks like free upgrades to first class and access to departure lounges.

Branson spoke to Forbes on Tuesday night in New York, where he unveiled a new Bulova Accutron watch of his own design. Proceeds from Branson’s Bulova endorsement will go to his foundation, Virgin Unite.

A strategic pawn has been placed in the middle of the Heathrow airport power struggle by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], as it investigates the possibility of selling British Midland International.

By appointing investment bank Morgan Stanley to look into the potential sale of the loss-making subsidiary, the German carrier is finally addressing a long-standing problem. Meanwhile, other airlines will consider the prudence of a takeover move.

On offer is the second-largest number of slots at Heathrow - an invaluable commodity at one of the world's busiest international airports which is bursting at the seams.

Airport Coordination Limited reported BMI's share of Heathrow's slots as being roughly 8.4% of the total capacity, in its Heathrow summer 2011 start of season report.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] parent International Airlines Group has been open about his interest in BMI, telling Airline Business earlier this year: "It's no secret that we've been interested in BMI, but largely because of its slot ­position at Heathrow, rather than the brand."

Andrew Lobbenberg, European airline research analyst at RBS, feels that a purchase of BMI by IAG would be the most natural fit. With British Airways owning approximately 40% of the Heathrow slots, such a move would give it control of around half the airport's total.

He is less convinced by the viability of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Airways' assertion that it continues "to have a close interest in a combination with BMI".

He explains that it is not obvious how a combination of BMI and Virgin could be a successful or profitable enough business to compete against BA.

Lobbenberg also questions whether Virgin could indeed afford such a purchase.

Citi Investment Research's (CIR) break-up analysis values BMI's equity at £106-248 million ($168-392 million). "Though, if it could find a new backer with deep pockets and the appetite, of course its ability to buy BMI could be transformed," he adds.

Lobbenberg says he is "very unsure about what the industrial logic would be of any combination of BMI with a Gulf carrier".

CIR questions whether any buyer would be interested in purchasing BMI in its entirety, because the carrier's three distinct divisions - BMI, BMI Regional and BMIbaby - do not match with most other airline groups, and that Lufthansa must therefore consider each separately.

The final intriguing development of the saga is that the news came at the same time as the announcement that Lufthansa's Stefan Lauer, chief officer of Lufthansa's subsidiary airlines, will be stepping down from the role of chairman of BMI.

In his place, BMI appointed Vagn Ove Sørensen, the former deputy chief executive of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Virgin Atlantic Airways refuses to rule out a possible bid for British Midland International, should Lufthansa decide to sell its loss-making subsidiary.

In September, Lufthansa announced it had appointed global financial services company Morgan Stanley to look into a potential sale of BMI.

Edmond Rose, director commercial and revenue planning at Virgin Atlantic, told Flightglobal's Airline Business Daily at the World Route Development Forum in Berlin that the carrier has "a close interest in the future of BMI", a phrase he repeated when pressed on whether this could extend to a potential bid.

International Airlines Group, the parent company of Virgin's arch rival British Airways, has also reiterated its interest in BMI.

IAG has made no secret of its desire to obtain BMI's more than 10% share of London Heathrow's highly sought-after slots.

Virgin Atlantic is partnering with energy specialist LanzaTech to aid development of low-carbon fuel.

It intends to use the new fuel within three years on routes between London Heathrow and Shanghai and Delhi.

LanzaTech will develop facilities in China and India to support the plan.

Shanghai is to have a demonstration facility in place this year and China will open a commercial operation in 2014.

The UK carrier said the process involves taking waste gas from industrial steel production and chemically converting it using technology from Stockholm-based Swedish Biofuels.

Virgin said the process recycles gas which would otherwise be vented as carbon dioxide.

LanzaTech estimates that two-thirds of steel mills could adopt the process, enabling broad application to support the air transport industry.

Virgin chairman Richard Branson, speaking at an event in London, said the steel industry could potentially supply over 15 billion gallons of fuel per year.

"This new technology is scalable, sustainable and can be commercially produced at a cost comparable to conventional jet fuel," he added.

LanzaTech chief Jennifer Holmgren said the technology would allow airlines to "dramatically reduce" carbon footprints.

Virgin said it is aiming to cut carbon levels per passenger-kilometre by 30% by 2020 and that the new partnership would take the carrier "well beyond" that target.

Virgin Atlantic is still keen on buying smaller UK rival bmi despite waning growth across the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic's chief executive Steve Ridgway said.

"The bmi sale process is ongoing and we're still involved in that," Ridgway said on Tuesday.

Lufthansa, which owns bmi, has said that it is considering finding a partner for loss-making bmi, and has mandated bankers to sound out a potential sale.

Airlines are keen to get hold of bmi's coveted takeoff and landing slots at London's Heathrow airport.

Bmi controls about 10 percent of the take-off and landing slots at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, making it second there only to IAG-owned British Airways, which now has around 45 percent of the slots.

Last month BA acquired six daily takeoff and landing slots at London's Heathrow airport from bmi for an undisclosed sum.

"Bmi is an important UK asset and I think it needs to be dealt with wisely," said Ridgway, when asked if Virgin would look at acquiring bmi's slots instead of the airline itself.

Virgin Atlantic, majority-owned by billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group, swung to a full-year profit in the year to March but expects higher fuel prices, weakening consumer confidence and tough economic conditions to impact the business in its current fiscal year.

"Growth rates are low and it's very challenging for airlines at the moment and will probably continue to be like that in the months ahead," said Ridgway.

Industry body IATA last month said it expected airlines to suffer a weak end to the year due to waning consumer confidence, sluggish international trade and high fuel prices.

It said a weak global economy would prompt a sharp fall in airline profits in 2012 and cut the industry's profit margins to 0.8 percent from 1.2 percent this year. IATA forecasts industry profits in 2012 will fall 29 percent to USD$4.9 billion from USD$6.9 billion this year.

Ridgway also poured cold water on a plan to link London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports by high-speed train.

The British government last week said it was considering connecting the airports -- creating a virtual hub dubbed Heathwick -- to increase capacity in the London aviation market

"Building this link between airports is not really practical especially given the constraints placed on runway capacity in the UK," he said.

(Reuters)

After International Airlines Group (IAG) announced today that it had agreed in principle with Lufthansa to take over British Midland International (BMI), there is confusion as Virgin Atlantic Airways appears to be still making a rival bid for the UK carrier.

Virgin said in statement today that "we are working with Lufthansa on the next stage of the purchase".

Virgin added that "we remain committed to the acquisition of BMI".

IAG said earlier today that it expected to ink a binding purchase agreement with Lufthansa "in the coming weeks" and that the transaction would be completed "in the first quarter 2012".

Given London Heathrow's exhausted capacity and dependency on the existing slots, Virgin argues that a BMI takeover through British Airways parent IAG would have an adverse effect on competition at the UK hub.

"British Airways' hold over Heathrow is already too dominant and we are very concerned - as the competition authorities should also be - that BA's purchase of BMI would be disastrous for consumer choice and competition," said Virgin.

Virgin Atlantic Airways is adamant that it is still in the race to take over UK carrier BMI after making another offer, which Lufthansa wants to discuss next week.

A source close to the negotiations told Flightglobal that Lufthansa responded on Virgin's latest bid within the last 12 hours and wants to talk about it in the coming week.

This would suggest that the previous offer by the UK airline might have been too low, but a spokeswoman for Virgin dismissed the notion.

British Airways parent International Airlines Group had reached a tentative agreement to acquire BMI.

Virgin, which has frequently touted the potential for a tie-up with BMI, insisted there were significant competition concerns with the IAG bid. The spokeswoman said Virgin was still in serious bidding talks with Lufthansa.

Lufthansa could not immediately be reached for comment about the possible discussion.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Airways is making good on its promise to enter the UK domestic market by launching thrice daily flights from London Heathrow to Manchester airport next spring.

The new service, which begins on 31 March 2013, will be operated with narrowbody Airbus A319s. Tickets go on sale today (21 August).

"Flying between Heathrow and Manchester is just the start for Virgin Atlantic's new short-haul operation," says chief executive Steve Ridgway.

"Operating a London to Manchester route will provide an invaluable feed to our existing long-haul network for both business and leisure passengers. It is the perfect introduction to short-haul flights for Virgin Atlantic."

Chairman Sir Richard Branson affirmed Virgin's desire to launch domestic flights after the acquisition of regional carrier BMI by IAG, the parent company of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Virgin had lobbied the European Commission (EC) to block the IAG acquisition, arguing that a combined BA-BMI entity would command excessive market share on key domestic routes such as London-Manchester and London-Glasgow.

Though the regulator ultimately disagreed, it moved to allay monopoly fears by ordering IAG to hand over 14 slot pairs at Heathrow.

Two of those slot pairs are already leased to Russian carrier Transaero, while the remaining 12 pairs have yet to be auctioned off. Virgin describes the EC measures as inadequate, but nonetheless says it plans "to apply for all of the remedy slots".

The airline adds that it will use "some of its existing slots to service the Manchester to London route" irrespective of the outcome of the auction.

That comes in contrast to an earlier route launch in July, when Virgin unveiled new flights to Moscow but said they were "predicated on winning the Heathrow slots".

The carrier operates an all-widebody fleet of five Airbus A330s, 22 A340s*** and 13 Boeing 747-400s serving mid- to long-haul destinations. It also has orders for three A330s, six A380s and 13 787s******, according to Flightglobal's Ascend Online database.

• *** dont 3 x A340-300, et 19 x A340-600 (n'est-ce pas ?), .... et
  
• ****** 15, plutôt que 13 (B787-9) n'est-ce pas ?
  

Virgin Atlantic will go head to head with rival British Airways (BA) on routes between London and Manchester next year after unveiling plans to make its first foray into the domestic short-haul market.
The airline, founded by serial entrepreneur Richard Branson in 1984, announced plans to operate three daily return flights from London's Heathrow to Manchester airport in northwest England from March 2013, providing competition to BA's short-haul service.

Virgin Atlantic claims that BA, part of IAG, operates a monopoly on the Heathrow to Manchester route after its takeover of UK carrier bmi this year.

"The airline believes competition on this route has been neglected in the remedy process and aims to provide choice for the 650,000 passengers who travel between the two cities," Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway said.

The new route will be Virgin's first move into domestic flights and will feed its long-haul services from Heathrow. It also plans to launch flights between London and Scotland in the future.

Ridgway added that about two thirds of people who fly from Manchester to London then connect to another long-haul flight, a market Virgin Atlantic wants a share of.

BA operates 17 return flights between London and Manchester, 13 of which are from Heathrow.

"We are pleased to see Virgin Atlantic increasing their presence in Manchester and to see competition returning on the London route," said Ken O'Toole, Manchester Airports Group's chief commercial officer.

Rivalry between Virgin Atlantic (which is part-owned by Singapore Airlines,) and British Airways dates back more than 20 years to the so-called "dirty tricks" affair, when Virgin accused BA of conducting a smear campaign.

That ended with BA being forced to make a public apology and pay damages to Branson and Virgin. There have since been price wars, allegations of price-fixing and public rows over the size of passenger beds.

Virgin denied that the new service was a response to Virgin Rail being stripped of the West Coast Mainline franchise that covers London to Manchester.

Britain's Department for Transport last week awarded FirstGroup the 13-year franchise for the West Coast line, a decision Branson attacked as "insanity".

Virgin, which is applying for the 12 Heathrow take-off and landing slots that BA was forced to give up as part of the bmi deal, said it would use some of its existing slots to service the Manchester to London route.

Irish carrier Aer Lingus is also expected to bid for some slots to enable it to offer services between the Scottish capital Edinburgh and Heathrow. Applications for the slots are due by the end of this week.

Virgin plans to use leased Airbus A319 aircraft on the London to Manchester route.

(Reuters)

Virgin Atlantic expects to decide soon on a type to replace its Airbus A340-600s and Boeing 747-400s as part of its drive to phase out four-engined aircraft.


The airline is introducing Airbus A330-300s and - from summer 2014 - Boeing 787-9s to replace some of its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and is examining potential replacements for the rest of its larger widebodies.

Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway told Flightglobal's Airline Business magazine in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that the airline is "rapidly moving out of four-engined aircraft - we have to do that because of where we seeing fuel costs going".

He says Virgin has had a request for proposals out with the manufacturers "for some time now" and is examining the options. "We will make a decision relatively soon about what we replace our remaining A340-600s and 747-400s with," he adds.

Ridgway envisages deliveries will take place in the 2015-2020 timescale, depending on the lease returns of its current fleet. Types under evaluation include the [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus A350-900.html]A350-900[/url] and -1000, and various Boeing alternatives including the [url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing 777-300ER.html]777-300ER[/url] and proposed new developments

Pourquoi Virgin Atlantic intéresse Delta et Air France-KLM

Delta lorgne les 49% que possède Singapore Airlines dans Virgin. Une très belle cible. La compagnie est la dernière compagnie européenne à disposer d'un bon réseau long-courrier et possède de belles positions sur l'axe transatlantique au départ de l'aéroport londonien d'Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic suscite les convoitises. La compagnie britannique détenue à 51 % par Richard Branson et à 49 % par Singapore Airlines est, selon le Wall Street Journal et The Sunday Times, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]s et de son partenaire dans l'alliance Skyteam [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], pour l'attirer dans leur camp. Delta aurait approché Singapore Airlines pour lui racheter ses 49% dans Virgin. En cas de succès, Air France-KLM, pourrait alors se porter acquéreur d'une partie des 51% détenus par Richard Branson. Singapore Airlines a juste précisé avoir entamé des discussions avec des "parties intéressées" sur la vente des 49% qu'elle détient dans Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin, qui pendant des années a refusé d'entrer dans une alliance, alors même que son actionnaire Singapore Airlines appartient à Star Alliance, n'a plus le choix aujourd'hui. Avec l'alliance entre British Airways-Iberia et American Airlines sur l'axe transatlantique, la compagnie britannique ne peut plus rester seule.

Des vols longs-courriers
C'est une très belle cible. Virgin est en effet la dernière compagnie aérienne européenne disposant d'une puissance de frappe sur le long-courrier (le principal critère d'appréciation de l'importance d'une compagnie) à ne pas avoir rejoint l'un des trois grands ensembles européens : Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, et British Airways-Iberia, et leurs alliances respectives, Skyteam, Star Alliance et Oneworld. Virgin n'a assuré jusqu'ici que des vols long-courriers, qui-plus-est au départ du plus grand aéroport européen (Londres Heathrow) sur l'axe transatlantique, le plus important de la planète. Et va commencer prochainement une activité moyen-courrier.

Combler le retard à Heathrow
Pour Delta et Air France-KLM et l'alliance Skyteam, Virgin permettrait de combler son retard à Londres par rapport à Oneworld qui profite des puissantes positions de British Airways. Et à un degré moindre par rapport à Star Alliance, qui a néanmoins perdu du terrain après la perte de BMI (ex British Midland), vendue par Lufthansa à British Airways.
Si Oneworld est hors du jeu (une alliance British Airways-Virgin sera forcément retoquée par les autorités de la concurrence) que va faire Lufthansa et son alliance Star Alliance ? Celle-ci peut certes compter sur Singapore Airlines pour jouer les intermédiaires. Pour autant si Star Alliance et Lufthansa voulaient s'offrir Virgin, il aurait préférable pour la compagnie allemande de conserver la britannique BMI (autrefois dans Star Alliance) pour établir des synergies évidentes avec Virgin. Les vols moyen-courriers de BMI étaient complémentaires avec les vols long-courriers de Virgin. Lufthansa ne l'a pas fait. En outre, durant toute la dernière décennie où Virgin aurait pu entrer dans Star, cela ne s'est jamais produit. Pour autant, Air France et Delta ont tout à gagner. Si jamais ils étaient éconduits, ils auront au moins fait monter les enchères pour que Virgin ne rejoigne pas un concurrent pour une bouchée de pain.

SkyTeam May Benefit Should Singapore Airlines Divest Its 49% Holding In Virgin Atlantic

The balance of power in the London Heathrow long-haul market may once again shift, as the Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines (SIA) appear to be moving closer to selling a stake in Virgin Atlantic, possibly to Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM.

SIA in a short statement to the Singapore stock exchange says it is “in discussions with interested parties concerning the possible divestment of its 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic.” But it adds, “These discussions may or may not result in a transaction.”

The disclosure came after U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times, without citing sources, reported that Delta is in talks with SIA to buy its 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic. The report also says Delta’s SkyTeam partner Air France-KLM is planning to buy part of the Virgin Group’s 51% stake in Virgin Atlantic.

Delta, meanwhile, is not commenting on the story, calling it rumor and speculation.

If Delta proceeds with the acquisition, the move would provide a major boost to SkyTeam’s access at London Heathrow, and at the same time curtail Star Alliance’s reach at the airport, which has been limited by Lufthansa’s sale of its BMI division to International Airlines Group unit British Airways. BA currently is the dominant player on transatlantic services from Heathrow, a position that is strengthened by its joint venture with Oneworld partner American Airlines.

In contrast, Virgin Atlantic’s strategic position has become weaker as its competitors grow. This prompted the airline in 2010 to appoint an adviser to investigate potential growth options, including alliance membership and buying a stake in another airline. Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic’s controlling shareholder through his Virgin Group, has said that he wants to remain involved in the airline even if part of the carrier is sold.

Virgin Atlantic’s biggest asset is its transatlantic network from London Heathrow, the main gateway into the U.K. and one of the world’s most important business destinations.

But Virgin Atlantic has been losing money. In the 12 months ending Feb. 29, Virgin Atlantic posted a loss of £80 million ($128.3 million), compared to a profit of £18.5 million in the previous year. The airline’s chief executive, Steve Ridgway, at the time said the loss was due to “sky- high fuel prices,” global economic uncertainty and a 25% increase in passenger duty fees. Ridgway is due to retire from his position in early 2013.

Virgin Atlantic is particularly vulnerable to high fuel prices. Its fleet of 42 aircraft includes four Airbus A340-300s, 17 A340-600s and 13 Boeing 747-400s. These four-engine aircraft types burn more fuel and are more expensive to maintain than newer models. The airline has taken steps to update its fleet by ordering 16 Boeing 787-9s and six Airbus A380s. First delivery of the 787-9s and A380s is in 2014 and 2015, respectively, says Virgin Atlantic.



Despite the cost exposure, Virgin Atlantic has valuable airport slots and may be of strategic importance to a U.S. carrier. It will still be difficult for SIA to secure a price comparable to what it paid for its stake in early 2000.

SIA paid £600.25 million for the 49% share, which included a capital injection of £49 million. The deal valued Virgin Atlantic at £1.2 billion, but SIA has since written down the value of the shareholding.