Flybe and widebody orders key to Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow aims

Virgin Atlantic faces "key decision points" in the next 2 to 3 years regarding the growth of its fleet, as it awaits a UK govt decision on how slots will be allocated at an expanded Heathrow. Executive VP of operations Philip Meher said that Flybe is a key part of Virgin Atlantic's plans for domestic and intra-European services, adding that a decision is still to be made on how that operation will be branded. He was commenting on the day that Virgin Atlantic unveiled ambitions for a massive expansion of its services from Heathrow – a plan that hinges on a UK govt decision regarding the allocation of the extra capacity created by a proposed third runway. Meher said he is "absolutely" confident that Virgin Atlantic is set up to handle the rapid expansion required should the slot decision work in the airline's favour. <br/>