Virgin Atlantic Cargo has announced the re-introduction of the company’s seasonal daily flights to and from Chicago due to begin on 27 April, 2016.
The airline already offers a year-round service to the region through its daily flights linking London and Detroit. The addition of Airbus A330-300 services to Chicago is planned to boost capacity by a further 16 tonnes a day and achieve fast connections with the UK and Europe as well markets such as India and South Africa.
John Lloyd, Senior Vice President, Cargo, said, “We are pleased to welcome back our very popular Chicago route and with the addition of Detroit last year, has enabled us to strengthen our year-round presence in the U.S, Midwest, where are have very strong support from our customers on both sides of the Atlantic. From the UK, even before the start of our summer season services to Chicago, we have commitments for more than 50% of our capacity. Typical cargoes ex UK will be wide ranging, such as fresh fish, flowers and perishables as well as mail. For customers in the U.S, the early morning arrival of our Detroit and Chicago services into London means we can help them to quickly connect to markets across Europe and to other online destinations such as Johannesburg and Delhi.”
Virgin Atlantic’s Detroit service is planned to arrive at London Heathrow, UK at 06.25hrs every morning, while its Chicago flights touch down at 07.55hrs. This is expected to enable same day connections to India and South Africa, as well as with Virgin’s road feeder services which deliver to more than 50 cities in Europe.
Virgin Atlantic Cargo offers direct services to and from 12 US destinations and has a 27% capacity share across the Atlantic. It is also responsible for Virgin Australia’s international long-haul services from Sydney and Brisbane into Los Angeles, which connect with Virgin Atlantic’s global network.
Source: Virgin Atlantic Cargo
