Branson Celebrates Virgin Atlantic’s London-Cancun Flight

Virgin Atlantic Airways CEO Sir Richard Branson and an aircraft filled with VIPs touched down in Cancun on July 6 to celebrate the airline’s newest service to Mexico from London’s Gatwick airport. Branson dressed in traditional Mexican attire and was joined on the wing by U.K. “X Factor” winner Alexandra Burke as a mariachi band entertained the crowd.

The group, made up of Branson and his family, Alexandra Burke, Leigh Francis (AKA Keith Lemmon), Derren Brown, Cleo Rocos and VIP travel industry guests, is staying at the five-star Royal Hideaway resort on the Riviera Maya. They will spend three days exploring the area, including visits to Tulum, Chichen Itza, Xplor and a swim with whale sharks.

 “I am delighted to be here to celebrate Virgin Atlantic’s new route to Cancun,” Branson said. “Mexico holds a special place in my heart and it is great to be here with all my family and friends. Cancun is one of the top five long-haul leisure destinations for U.K. travelers, and as a market leader in this area, we are pleased to be able to add this route to our network.” Virgin Atlantic flies twice weekly from London Gatwick to Cancun and is offering roundtrip economy fares from $960 per person. For further information contact

The twice weekly service, Virgin Atlantic’s 34th destination worldwide, operates on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and will see up to 75,000 Virgin Atlantic customers traveling between London and Cancun in the first year. The new flight, which officially began on June 12, is on a Boeing 747-400 configured with 14 Upper Class Suites, 58 Premium Economy seats and 379 Economy seats. The outbound sector from London Gatwick (VS93) will depart at 11:25 a.m. and arrive in Cancun at 13:45 p.m. The inbound sector from Cancun (VS94) will depart at 6:05 p.m. and arrive in London Gatwick at 9:15 a.m. the following day.

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