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| Founded | 1996 | |||
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| Hubs | Brussels Airport | |||
| Fleet size | 10 (22 max) | |||
| Destinations | 24 | |||
| Parent company | SN Airholding | |||
| Headquarters | Zaventem, Belgium | |||
| Key people | Neil Burrows (CEO);
Richard Branson, chairman Virgin Group |
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| Website | virginexpress.com | |||
N.V. Virgin Express S.A. was an airline created within the Virgin Group. It operated flights mainly to southern Europe from its hub at Brussels Airport. Ticket sales were mainly through the Internet. The airline has merged with SN Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines which started operations on 25 March 2007 [1] Virgin Express has its head office in Building 116 at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, near Brussels.[2]
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History
Virgin Express started on 23 April 1996, when the Virgin Group (with chairman Richard Branson) bought the Belgian leisure airline EBA (EuroBelgian Airlines) and rebranded it into Virgin Express.[3] It also took over EBA's fleet of Boeing 737's and has operated this type of aircraft ever since. The airline soon concentrated on low-budget scheduled flights out of its Brussels hub and became a major competitor for Sabena and later SN Brussels Airlines. In October 2004, the Virgin Group sold its assets to SN Brussels Airlines and both airlines were integrated into the parent holding company SN Airholding, chaired by 'Viscount' Etienne Davignon. On 31 March 2006, SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express announced their fusion into a single company, named Brussels Airlines. The combined airline added long haul destinations and strengthened its position in Africa.[citation needed]
Fleet
The Virgin Express fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of August 2006) [4]:
Three Boeing 737-300 (OO-VEX, OO-VEG and OO-VEH) were fitted with winglets (March 2007). All the aircraft of Virgin Express have been painted in Brussels Airlines colours. The airline operated a maximum of 26 B737 at its peak, and was given the first Joint Aviation Authorities air operator's certificate delivered by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authorities.
Destinations
At time of closure
Destinations at time of closure included: [5]
- Belgium
- Brussels (Brussels Airport) Hub
- Denmark
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Italy
- Portugal
- Spain
- Switzerland
Prior to closure
Destinations prior to closure include:
- France
- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Milan (Linate Airport) [9] (Services moved to Orio al Serio in Bergamo)
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Virgin Express |
- Virgin Express web page at archive.org
- Fleet in 2005 November
- Virgin Express Fleet in 2005 April
- virginbrand.com Unofficial blog of the Virgin Group
- Photos of Virgin Express aircraft
References
- ^ Airliner World January 2007
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight Global. 30 March - 5 April 2004. 92.
- ^ Company profile virgin-express.com
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ Home Page on January 12, 2007, Virgin Express
- ^ "Destinations" of January 1, 2006, Virgin Express
- ^ a b Route Map of 2000, Virgin Express
- ^ a b c "Destinations" of October 13, 1999, Virgin Express
- ^ a b "Destinations" as of June 8, 2004, Virgin Express
- ^ a b Route Map of 2002, Virgin Express
- ^ "Destinations" of June 03, 2001, Virgin Express
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