Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, today announced that the airline
is planning to offer some of its Upper Class passengers the chance to experience
the Gibbs Aquada when travelling to and from London's Heathrow airport enabling them to beat the traffic by taking to the Thames. Virgin Atlantic plans to
introduce the service later in the summer.
Speaking in Calais, after setting a new Guinness World Record for
crossing the
channel in an amphibian - the new Gibbs Aquada - Sir Richard Branson said:
"For many years our Upper Class passengers have enjoyed our complimentary
limousines to and from the airport. Some people prefer our limo bikes -
chauffeured motorbikes - but we are now planning to go one step further by
introducing the chance to experience a Gibbs Aquada. This new service follows in
our tradition of product innovation and fun.
"Just as with our existing limos, those passengers travelling by Gibbs Aquada will
be met off their flights by a chauffeur who will drive them to their home, hotel or
office. But unlike our other limos when the Gibbs Aquada hits traffic on its way to
or from central London the driver simply heads for the nearest slipway and takes
to the Thames before rejoining the roads on the final leg of the passenger's
journey.
"Using the Gibbs Aquada, we will be able to cut twenty and thirty minutes off the
journey between Heathrow and The City, giving our travellers extra time for
meetings or relaxation. The Thames is London's defining feature along the banks
of which much of its history has been written and it's the best introduction to
London's great sights including the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and
Tower Bridge. Most Londoners think that the Thames is vastly underused and
with the Gibbs Aquada's revolutionary technology we may see many more people
using the river to get around."
Alan Gibbs, Chairman of Gibbs Technologies, said:
"We are delighted that Virgin has so endorsed High Speed Amphibious
Technology and sees the Gibbs Aquada as a perfect fit for transporting its Upper
Class passengers. The Gibbs Aquada is a revolutionary vehicle providing a real
practical solution to London's traffic - and there's no Congestion Charge!"
The first application of Gibbs Technologies' patented High Speed Amphibian
(HSA) technology, the Gibbs Aquada represents the first road legal high-speed
sports amphibian. Neither a boat with wheels nor a waterproof car, the Gibbs
Aquada is truly a revolutionary new class of vehicle. It is able to drive at speeds of
100mph on land and in excess of 30mph on water, moving between surfaces at
the touch of a button. |