Virgin Sun Airlines
Encyclopedia
Virgin Sun Airlines often known just as Virgin Sun, was a British scheduled & charter airline which was created and owned by Virgin
in 1998. The airlines main destinations were the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands
.
Virgin Sun's main bases were Manchester Airport and London Gatwick Airport
.
aircraft. Virgin Sun then received a third A320-200 and it's first and only Airbus A321-200
the following year.
decided to cease the operations of Virgin Sun, due to failing to make the expected profits. After Richard Branson was looking for an airline to buy the company, it was eventually sold to Air2000 which became First Choice Airways
, who have now merged with Thomsonfly
. Virgin Sun ceased operations the following day. Two of the Airbus A320-200
s were put into storage in Bristol, and the Airbus A321-200
(G-VKIS) and one of the Airbus A320-200
s (G-VMED) were returned to the lessor, GECAS. One of the Airbus A320-200
s (G-VKID) was sold on 21 June 2002 to the low-cost swedish airline Goodjet, which is now defunct. The other Airbus A320-200
(G-VTAN) was eventually sold to Virgin Atlantic on 22 June 2004, but they didn't need it, so it went to Atlasjet
the following month.
aircraft (G-VMED) was seen landing at Ibiza Airport
.
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...
in 1998. The airlines main destinations were the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
Virgin Sun's main bases were Manchester Airport and London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
.
History
Virgin Sun started as a charter airline operating from Gatwick and Manchester terminal 2, leasing 2 Airbus A320-200Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft. Virgin Sun then received a third A320-200 and it's first and only Airbus A321-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
the following year.
Closure
On 31 October 2001, two years after the airline commenced operations, Richard BransonRichard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
decided to cease the operations of Virgin Sun, due to failing to make the expected profits. After Richard Branson was looking for an airline to buy the company, it was eventually sold to Air2000 which became First Choice Airways
First Choice Airways
First Choice Airways was a British charter airline of European tour operator TUI Travel PLC, based in Crawley, England. It flew to more than 60 destinations worldwide from 14 UK and Irish airports. 70% of the airline's services were operated for its parent company, rising to 85% in the summer...
, who have now merged with Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly was a British airline, previously known as Britannia and a business within TUI UK prior to September 2007. Following TUI UK merging with First Choice Holidays in September 2007 it became part of TUI Travel PLC...
. Virgin Sun ceased operations the following day. Two of the Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s were put into storage in Bristol, and the Airbus A321-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
(G-VKIS) and one of the Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s (G-VMED) were returned to the lessor, GECAS. One of the Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s (G-VKID) was sold on 21 June 2002 to the low-cost swedish airline Goodjet, which is now defunct. The other Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
(G-VTAN) was eventually sold to Virgin Atlantic on 22 June 2004, but they didn't need it, so it went to Atlasjet
Atlasjet
Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş. is an airline based in Florya, Bakırköy district, Istanbul, Turkey, operating domestic and international scheduled passenger services and regular charter flights to Europe, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, usually out of either Atatürk International Airport,...
the following month.
Fleet
The Virgin Sun fleet consisted of the following aircraft:| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 | 180 |
| Airbus A321-200 | 1 | 220 |
TV Appearances
The airline featured prominently in the 2000 movie Kevin and Perry Go Large. One of Virgin Sun's Airbus A320-200Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft (G-VMED) was seen landing at Ibiza Airport
Ibiza Airport
Ibiza Airport is the airport serving the Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera in Spain, used by 95% of all people who arrive at or depart from these two islands...
.