News
Virgin focuses on executives
28 March 2006
With the opening of Virgin Atlantic's first route to the Middle East the airline has set out its strategy for the next three years.
The firm aims to focus in on executives, named as 'premium customers', and hopes to increase their numbers by ten per cent over the next year.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgeway said yesterday on BBC Radio Five Live's Wake-up to Money: 'I think these days you'd have to be good at everything in the airline industry because there's so much stuff thrown at us, whether it be high oil prices or whatever.
'But we've always been the big player in the business market and today is part of a launch of a three-year strategy to grow that part of our business and Dubai is one of the first things we're going to do.'
The first flights to the Middle East will take passengers to Dubai International Airport with flights four times a week.
Today, Aer Lingus also launched its first service to Dubai, running three times a week, from Dublin.
The Irish airline has also signed an agreement with Emirates, allowing passengers to fly on to 21 further destinations in the southern hemisphere.
Dubai International was recently voted best airport in the Middle East and Africa by the magazine Business Traveller Germany and its facilities are set to improve when its $4.1 billion expansion programme is completed later this year.
This year, 28 million passengers are expected to travel through the airport, rising to 60 million by 2010, demonstrating the growth of tourism in the area.
© Adfero Ltd
The firm aims to focus in on executives, named as 'premium customers', and hopes to increase their numbers by ten per cent over the next year.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgeway said yesterday on BBC Radio Five Live's Wake-up to Money: 'I think these days you'd have to be good at everything in the airline industry because there's so much stuff thrown at us, whether it be high oil prices or whatever.
'But we've always been the big player in the business market and today is part of a launch of a three-year strategy to grow that part of our business and Dubai is one of the first things we're going to do.'
The first flights to the Middle East will take passengers to Dubai International Airport with flights four times a week.
Today, Aer Lingus also launched its first service to Dubai, running three times a week, from Dublin.
The Irish airline has also signed an agreement with Emirates, allowing passengers to fly on to 21 further destinations in the southern hemisphere.
Dubai International was recently voted best airport in the Middle East and Africa by the magazine Business Traveller Germany and its facilities are set to improve when its $4.1 billion expansion programme is completed later this year.
This year, 28 million passengers are expected to travel through the airport, rising to 60 million by 2010, demonstrating the growth of tourism in the area.
© Adfero Ltd
