|
The
same day that Air France and British Airways announced that they would
stop flying Concorde later this year, Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of
Virgin Atlantic, made the following comments: "Since the British Airways' announcement this morning we have been
flooded with calls from the public, including BA staff, asking us to see if we
can keep Concorde flying. "When the Conservative government gave British Airways Concorde for £1
they said that if another British company ever wanted to operate it they
could. As a result of the public's response today I will be asking British
Airways to provide me with the full operating figures." "If having examined the figures Virgin Atlantic, with its lower cost base,
believes it can make a success of it we will be asking British Airways to
give us the planes for the same price that they were given them for (£1)
together with the slots and other facilities that they use. "This might come to nothing but I believe that every effort should be made
to keep Concorde flying as it is such an important symbol of British
innovation." Sir Branson concluded. |
