Virgin Atlantic hails trade support in selling new Maldives service

Virgin Atlantic has thanked its trade partners for their support in selling the airline’s new Maldives service, which will launch on October 22.

Senior sales account manager Nick Johnson said the route, which went on sale last November, was selling “ahead of plan”, with Upper Class performing “fantastically” well.

The new service from Heathrow to Malé will operate three times a week on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday during the winter season.

It will be operated on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft, offering 31 Upper?Class, 35 Premium and?192?Economy Delight,?Classic and Light seats.

To celebrate the launch, Virgin Atlantic hosted 65 key partners at a trade event in London on April 19. The event was held in partnership with destination management company Elevate, which recently opened a Maldives office, and Hard Rock Hotel Maldives & Saii Lagoon Maldives.

The event saw the brands give away a seven-night holiday to the Maldives, including full-board accommodation at Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and two return economy-class tickets to Malé.

Johnson said at the event: “I want to thank you for your support so far. Some of you are smashing it out of the park. We’re already ahead of plan which is amazing. The front of the cabin is selling fantastically. We wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you guys.

“We've also got quite a way to go - we're on that six-month booking curve - so we just wanted to say thank you for supporting us so far.”

Announcing the new route last November, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said:?“The Maldives has always been an incredibly popular destination for Virgin Atlantic Holidays customers, which is why we couldn’t wait to give them the opportunity to travel to the idyllic location in style onboard Virgin Atlantic aircraft.”

Pictured at the event (from left to right): Nick Johnson, Virgin Atlantic; Dee Joshi, We Define Travel; Scott Edwards, Tania Wilks and Jess McGinley; all Virgin Atlantic; Sophie Taylor, We Define Travel; Sarah Finch, Virgin Atlantic.