Virgin Atlantic connects Delhi to London with 787-9 Dreamliner

APR 7, 2015: Virgin Atlantic launched its maiden 787-9 Dreamliner flight to London from Delhi on 31 March 2015. The passengers travelling were in for a surprise as they received exclusive 787 cupcakes and the chance to take a “First Flight Selfie” whilst checking-in and boarding the flight from Delhi IGI airport. The aircraft that arrived from London was greeted with a water canon salute as it touched down in Delhi. Virgin Atlantic operates 7 daily flights every week from Delhi to London with many onward connections, including New York and is currently investing £300 million in improving customer experience.

Building on the success of 2014 where the carrier returned to profitability, combined with an 11% improvement in customer satisfaction scores, Virgin Atlantic is the first European carrier to fly the larger Boeing 787-9 version of the Dreamliner on the Delhi-London Route.
The 787-9s are configured with 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 198 Economy seats and will bring lots of fantastic benefits to further enhance the airline’s award winning experience. Not only is the aircraft more environmentally friendly, being significantly more fuel efficient and quieter than existing aircraft types, but the design of the aircraft enables the cabin to be pressurised at a lower level with increased cabin humidity, which is a significant factor in ensuring passengers arrive at their destination far more refreshed than on other aircraft types. Other features include access to Wi-Fi connectivity, the latest in-flight entertainment with the best Bollywood movies, dynamic mood lighting throughout the journey and the largest cabin windows of any aircraft flying today (65% larger than the industry standard), giving an amazing view.

Upper Class passengers will now enjoy a new iteration of Virgin Atlantic’s iconic ‘Upper Class Suite’ which incorporates all of the popular features to make it the most spacious, comfortable and longest fully flat bed in business class, with all suites having direct aisle access. The Upper Class bar has been redesigned to become an even more social space, with a large screen to entertain passengers and show flight or destination information.

The Economy seats are the Recaro 3620 model, making them wider with larger head rests and the best-in-class.
As well as the passenger benefits, the 787-9 Dreamliner, which is the most efficient aircraft in its class, is set to bring major environmental benefits to Virgin Atlantic. It produces 20% less CO2 emissions and has a 60% smaller noise footprint than aircraft of a comparable size, which has less impact for people living near airports.

Speaking at the launch, Nick Parker, Head of India and Middle East for Virgin Atlantic said:
“It is a proud moment for us today as we make history being the first airline in India to fly the 787-9 Dreamliner between Delhi and London with onward connections, including New York. We’ve been serving and delighting our customers for 15 years from Delhi and the launch of the Dreamliner, with our latest cabin interiors, further demonstrates our commitment to India and enables us to build on the success of our Delhi route.

We know our Indian customers are going to love flying our Dreamliner. Every aspect has been meticulously designed to enhance their experience; not only seats and social spaces, inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi, but we’ve also invested in other areas that are so important to customers, including the onboard meal services. I’m delighted to confirm that we’ve increased the number of our fantastic local Indian crew on each flight, who along with our exceptional airport team, will deliver the personalised Virgin Atlantic service that our customers so love.”