Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Neil Lancefield & Tom Houghton

Virgin Atlantic plans for flights from Liverpool to London

You could soon be able to catch a flight from Liverpool to London after Virgin Atlantic announced its intention to introduce 84 new destinations.

The airline says it hopes to bring in the new locations , which also include Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle, once Heathrow's third runway has opened.

A total of 12 of the 84 new destinations are in the UK, with Virgin Atlantic saying the transformation of its route network "depends on how many additional take-off and landing slots it obtains when the UK's busiest airport is expanded".

They are Aberdeen, Belfast City, Edinburgh, Exeter, Guernsey, Glasgow, Inverness, Liverpool , Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle and Newquay.

Construction could begin on the runway in 2021 and it could be opened by 2026.

A spokesman for Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) welcomed the news.

He said: "Liverpool remains without a direct air service to London, and furthermore remains one of the largest cities in Europe without a dedicated hub connection to long haul markets.

"Over 1m passengers per annum take a flight to and from the Liverpool City Region using a hub service from other airports. A significant and growing number of these passengers are transiting through hubs outside of the UK, meaning a new service to Liverpool via Heathrow, would not only bring significant benefit to the Liverpool City Region but also the wider UK economy.”

Virgin Atlantic's planned 35 new long-haul routes include airports in North and South America, Asia and Africa.

A recent report commissioned by the airline found that IAG holds 55% of Heathrow slots.

Virgin Atlantic has started its sale which some huge savings for its customers (Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

Virgin Atlantic intends to compete on 26 routes where it says IAG has a monopoly.

The rules governing the allocation of new airport slots are currently being reviewed by the Department for Transport.

Virgin Atlantic axed its domestic airline, Little Red, in September 2015 and blamed a scarcity of available slots at Heathrow as one of the reasons for its failure.

IAG chief executive Willie Walsh told an airport conference in November 2016 that there is "zero chance" the airline group will restore flights to UK airports such as Liverpool and Newquay, even if more slots become available.

"We'll go where there's demand," he added.

Mr Weiss said: "Never has the need for effective competition and choice at Heathrow Airport been more evident than during this summer of disruption, which has brought misery for tens thousands of travellers. Britain, and those who travel to it, deserve better than this.

"Air passengers need a choice and Virgin Atlantic is ready to deliver when Heathrow expands.

"Heathrow has been dominated by one airline group for far too long.

Unusual jobs at Liverpool JLA:

Unusual jobs at Liverpool John Lennon Airport

"The third runway is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the status quo and create a second flag carrier.

"This would lower fares and give real choice to passengers, as well giving Britain a real opportunity to boost its trade and investment links around the world.

"Changing the way take-off and landing slots are allocated for this unique and vital increase in capacity at the nation's hub airport will create the right conditions for competition and innovation to thrive."

IAG said in a statement that between 2001 and 2016 it increased the proportion of Heathrow slots it owns from 36.2% to 52.6%, whereas Virgin Atlantic's share grew from 2.3% to 3.3% over the same period.

It went on: "Virgin had the opportunity to increase its slot share at Heathrow to 19.7% by buying slots but it chose not to do so.

"The airline has failed to create more competition at the airport - it closed Little Red on domestic routes, pulled off long-haul routes and rents out the slots it owns to other airlines to fly."

A group of councils, residents, environmental charities and London Mayor Sadiq Khan lost a High Court challenge against the Government's decision to approve the plans for the third runway in May. But in July they were given the go-ahead to challenge the ruling.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.