Air Transport

Virgin America has officially taken delivery of its first Airbus narrowbody with the usual Virgin-brand showbiz glitz despite the US Government’s continued reluctance to issue the carrier an air operator’s certificate.

The aircraft is the first of 34 A320-family aircraft the start-up plans to operate from its San Francisco base.Airbus has already produced seven A320s and two A319s for the carrier.

Virgin America has said it will lease or sublease these aircraft until it requires them for its own operations, which were once planned for 2005 and are now expected in 2007, should the US DOT certify the carrier.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and mayor Gavin Newsom were on hand with singer Grace Slick for the champagne christening of the aircraft, N625VA, after Slick's one-time band Jefferson Airplane

The carrier’s chief executive Fred Reid in June 2004 said it has placed firm orders with Airbus for 11 A319s and seven A320s in addition to a lease agreement GE Commercial Aviation Services for 15 A320s.

The DOT  has repeatedly postponed its decision on the carrier, forcing Virgin America to delay its launch and secure additional finance.

CEO Fred Reid said at the ceremony that "the investors are not blinking" and re-stated the company's commitment to an eventual launch.