On Saturday 8th January 2004 Virgin Express will, with the support of a number of companies of the Brussels airport community, operate a special flight…
On Saturday 8th January 2004 Virgin Express will, with the support of a number of companies of the Brussels airport community, operate a special flight. All the profits from this flight will be donated to the victims of the tsunami disaster is South-East Asia. This morning, the first Boeing 737 with the text Support Tsunami Victims on its side left the hangar. Over the coming days other aircraft will spread this message of solidarity as well.
The basic idea comes from one of the airline`s pilots. Within a few hours the initiative gained massive support from all Virgin Express staff members.
In addition, a number of companies have demonstrated their corporate social responsibility and thrown in their logistic support behind the project. BIAC, the airport authority, has waived the landing charges for this special flight. Sabena Technics has put the special lettering on the aircraft fuselage free of charge, BGS will not charge for the passenger handling of this flight and Total has donated 5 tons of fuel free.
The special 30-minutes flight with a Boeing 737-400 above Belgium will leave on Saturday at 8.30 AM. Tickets are for sale at €49 via the Virgin Express call centre or via the website www.virgin-express.com. If customer demand is there, Virgin Express will operate extra charity flights next Saturday as well.
Neil Burrows, Managing Director of Virgin Express, stated: With our aviation partners we at Virgin Express want to add what we can to the aid effort that is underway and I would like to thank our staff and those of the other participating companies for their whole-hearted support
Finally, Virgin Express will allow a number of staff to volunteer their services to recognised charity organisations during this critical period. Time spent with the charity will be paid by Virgin Express and will not be deducted from annual leave. Also other companies within the Virgin Group are taking similar initiatives to help meet the needs of the people in South-East Asia.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
