Virgin Atlantic Operates First Ever Cargo Only Charter

Flight VS698 from London Heathrow to New York JFK on 22 March created history for Virgin Atlantic as it departed with just two pilots, one cabin crew member and a hold filled with 12.4 tonnes of pharmaceutical and medical supplies.

Although the emergence of COVID19 has led to a decrease in passengers travelling, demand to transport cargo remains strong and there has been a dramatic decrease in cargo space available since many airlines have cancelled flights.

Special exemptions from the imposed travel restrictions for pilots and cabin crew – whose health and wellbeing remains top priority - mean that cargo operations can continue, ensuring the airline can continue to support vital supply chains across the globe.

A flight with no passengers is technically not an unusual sight, with training, positioning and maintenance sectors happening regularly. However, a pure cargo charter flight like VS698 had never been operated before by the British network carrier.

 With further cargo-only operated services scheduled, Virgin Atlantic is expected to continue its cargo offering to destinations from the US to the far east.

Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo said, “Watching Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural cargo-only charter take off from London Heathrow added to a feeling of immense pride towards the herculean effort of our cargo team. Making the flight happen, in such short notice and in such challenging times, reaffirms the fact that we have one of the best teams in the sky supporting supply chains across the globe.”

Every year, Virgin Atlantic transports over 200,000 tonnes of cargo on its global network. From salmon sourced from lochs in Scotland, and pharmaceutical supplies, to supercars travelling to the US, customers who have flown with the airline before will no doubt have been sitting above all sorts of goods and products being shipped around the world.

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