Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today unveiled a £6million campaign to beat off the credit crunch blues and highlight why it’s still red hot after 25 years of flying. The airline celebrates its 25th birthday on 22 June 2009.

At the centre of the new, optimistic campaign is a television advert, set in 1984, featuring glamorous Virgin Atlantic flight attendants, and pilot, walking through the airport before boarding the airline’s inaugural flight to New York. The advert features iconic images of the 1980s, such as the Rubik’s Cube, brick-sized cellphones, Our Price Records and the Asteroids video game.

Over 65 million passengers have chosen to travel with Virgin Atlantic since its launch in 1984. The airline now flies to 30 destinations around the world, from its main bases at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, using a modern, young fleet of Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 aircraft.

Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, said: “We’re fighting back against the doom and gloom in the airline industry. While our competitors are feeling down in the dumps, our passengers want us to celebrate the transformation we’ve brought about in the industry since our launch in 1984. You can count on Virgin Atlantic to raise spirits with some of our lowest fares ever and look into the future with optimism, as we did 25 years ago.”

Virgin Atlantic will be celebrating its 25 years with a series of special fares, campaigns and events in the run-up to its birthday in June 2009, as well as promoting red hot fares to red hot destinations.