The head of Virgin Atlantic said he expected flights on transatlantic routes to be 60 per cent to 70 per cent full in the weeks running up to Christmas.
Shai Weiss told the Airlines UK conference that the company still did not have great visibility on bookings more than three to six months away, but he expected UK to US routes to drive the recovery as large parts of Asia remain highly restricted.
“We will be trading all the way up to Christmas, probably with a 60 per cent to 70 per cent load factor, which is a material improvement,” he said.
The US in November removed entry restrictions on a number of countries, opening its borders after more than 18 months to all travellers fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Virgin Atlantic, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, is 51 per cent owned by Virgin Group with the balance held by Delta Air Lines.
The airline was forced to raise cash during the pandemic to survive, including a $1.6 billion rescue deal. It also let almost half of its staff go to cut costs.
Airlines have cautiously begun to add flights between the US and Europe, but Asia is not likely to open up to outsiders until next year at the earliest.
The long-distance flights in which Virgin Atlantic specialises have become far less popular than shorter routes as the recovery from the travel slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Sky News reported on Saturday that Mr Branson and Delta were in talks about a further capital raise of about £400 million after talk of an initial public offering faded in uncertain market conditions.
Mr Weiss declined to comment on the issue on Monday.
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Maureen Watkins is reunited with her grandchildren upon her arrival from London at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, on November 8, 2021. Reuters -
A woman hugs her grandson that she has not seen in three years upon her arrival from Frankfurt, Germany, at Dulles International Airport. Reuters -
Family members hold signs as they wait for passengers travelling from London to arrive at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. Bloomberg -
Ank Dow from the Netherlands greets her family after she passed through the US Customs and Border Protection gate at Boston's Logan International Airport. EPA -
Paul Campbell waits for his fiancee Patricia Bittag to arrive on a flight from Amsterdam at Logan International Airport. The pair had been separated for 23 months. Reuters -
People meet relatives at baggage claim at John F Kennedy International Airport. Reuters -
Balbina Gonzalez embraces her one-year-old granddaughter for the first time outside the US Customs and Border Protection Logan International Airport. EPA -
A group of motorists wait in line at San Ysidro checkpoint before entering the US in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico. EPA -
Maria Isabel Renteria embraces her mother whom she had not seen in almost two years near the Gateway to the Americas border crossing in Laredo, Texas. Reuters -
A group of travellers crosses the land border that connects El Paso, Texas, with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico. EPA -
Dual US-Canadian citizen Traysi Spring and her American husband, Tom Bakken, hold a homemade sign to welcome people heading into the US from Canada. AP -
Family members embrace as they are reunited at Dulles International Airport. AFP -
Patrick van Rosendaal greets Belgian travellers with a sign and waffles as they arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. AP -
Jeannette Feuth from the Netherlands embraces her granddaughter as her daughter watches on. AFP
