Corporate News
Virgin slashes air fares ahead of close-down
A Virgin Atlantic aircraft about to land at Heathrow Airport, London. Picture: File
Posted Thursday, August 9 2012 at 23:02
Virgin Atlantic has unveiled a closing-down lower price this month ahead of September 14, its last day of operations on the Nairobi-London route.
The airline is hoping to attract some last-minute business mainly driven by London Olympics and the peak summer season.
In May, Virgin announced it would withdraw from the Nairobi route due to increased fuel costs, low passenger numbers and rising taxes.
The Nairobi-London route is served by three players—Virgin, British Airways and Kenya Airways (KQ).
Virgin Atlantic, a joint venture between British billionaire Richard Branson and Singapore Airlines, is charging $1,253 (Sh105,252) for economy class.
Online ticket booking list indicates that KQ is charging $1,418 (Sh119,124) while British Airways is $1,675 (Sh140,700),
Travel advisories and the eurozone woes have seen passenger numbers on the route shrink.
“We have seen interest, during the period, but less people coming from the UK. This could also be because of the travel advisories,” said David Rose, Virgin’s country director.
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