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
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.
Incumbent rivals, led by Continental Airlines, have been blocking the carrier's approval by the Department of Transporation (DOT), alleging that it breaches US law on foreign control of airlines, in terms both of financial investment and management influence.
Virgin America insists that it is US-controlled with Virgin Group head Richard Branson owning only a minority of the equity.
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.
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All photos © Mark Greenberg / Virgin America |
Kieran Daly thinks the Virgin America story shames the US air transport industry. Read his blog.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
