Virgin Atlantic flies Stars to the 46664 Concert in South Africa

Virgin Atlantic is flying a number of leading musicians and pop stars to South Africa this week to perform at a high profile concert to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The 46664 campaign, of which Virgin Atlantic is one of the main sponsors, is part of a series of events urging the public to 'Give one minute of your life to AIDS'.

Artists such as Bono, Annie Lennox, Anastasia, Dave Stewart, the Corrs, Jimmy Cliff, Yusaf Islam (Cat Stevens), Peter Gabriel and Ms Dynamite along with their support teams will fly with Virgin Atlantic to arrive in Cape Town for this truly memorable event. 

Commenting on this project, Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, said:

"Everyone at Virgin Atlantic feels very passionate about being involved in this project. I have had the privilege of knowing Nelson Mandela for several years and he is the one man I know who will make the world sit up and listen to his call to 'Give one minute of your life to AIDS'.

"Virgin Atlantic is extremely proud to be a sponsor for this historic and important world event. We will be supporting the event not only by flying many of the artists, their support teams and the event organisers to South Africa but also through a range of fundraising initiatives. The Nelson Mandela Foundation will be our onboard charity from November until January and I would like to take this opportunity to urge our passengers to give generously to this very worthwhile cause.".

Sir Richard went on to say:

"AIDS has currently claimed 25 million lives worldwide and it's spreading - fast. HIV/AIDS is one of the worst epidemics the world has ever faced, something must be done to stop this scourge - fast.

"As Madiba said this is without doubt a Human Rights issue and as humans we all have the right to live without fear. Without the fear that our unborn children will die before the age of six, without the fear that human intimacy is a gamble with our lives and without the fear that as a suffering nation you are ostracised and ignored by a world that simply doesn't care.

"This historic event will mark a new beginning for us all, a new freedom to speak out against those who ignore this global threat. Twenty years after Nelson Mandela was transferred off Robben Island in chains - we must all return with him, if not in person then as one global spirit. A spirit that together has the ability to break the chains of human suffering and loss that is HIV/AIDS."