Heathrow-link launch by March, vows airline

VIRGIN Atlantic flights to London Heathrow are set to take off from Aberdeen within months.

The firm’s chief executive, Steve Ridgway, said leased aircraft were “lined up to go” for the summer schedule starting at the end of March. But Virgin’s take-off from the Granite City depends on the company securing valuable landing slots at Heathrow later this year.

Business leaders welcomed the move and insisted securing the slots was vital for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s business community. The carrier – owned by Sir Richard Branson – is bidding for all 12 slot pairings still available after International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways (BA), was asked by Brussels to give up 14 as a condition of its takeover of part of rival firm BMI.

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