Virgin Express was a Belgian airline created within the Virgin Group. It operated flights mainly to southern Europe from its hub at Brussels Airport. Ticket sales were mainly through the Internet. The airline merged to form Brussels Airlines in November 2006.Airliner World January 2007 Virgin Express' head office was in Building 116 at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, near Brussels."Contact Us." Virgin Express. 22 January 2005. Retrieved on 26 June 2010. ".""imaging/IMG_directions_599x556.jpg." Virgin Express. Retrieved on 26 June 2010.
History On 23 April 1996, the Virgin Group (with chairman Richard Branson) bought the Belgian leisure airline EBA-EuroBelgian Airlines, founded by Victor Hasson and Georges Gutelman, and renamed it Virgin Express on September 2 of that same year.Company profile virgin-express.com It also took over EBA's fleet of Boeing 737s and operated this type of aircraft from thereon. The airline soon concentrated on low-budget scheduled flights out of its Brussels hub, and became a major competitor for Sabena and later SN Brussels Airlines.
In October 2004, the Virgin Group sold the ownership to Delta Air Transport, and both airlines were placed under the control of SN Airholding holding company, chaired by Viscount Étienne Davignon. On 31 March 2006, SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express announced their merger into a single company, to be named Brussels Airlines. The combined airline added long haul destinations and strengthened its position in Africa.
Fleet During its 11-year existence, Virgin Express had operated the following aircraft:Flight International, 3–9 October 2006
+ Virgin Express retired fleetAircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredNotesAirbus A320-200119971997Leased from Constellation International AirlinesBoeing 737-200219971997Leased from AirFoyle Passenger AirlinesBoeing 737-3001519962007Boeing 737-4001119962007Lockheed L-1011 TriStar119981998Leased from Aer TurasMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30119981998Used for charter flights for summer
References
Further reading Virgin Express info set, year 2003
See also List of defunct airlines of Belgium SN Brussels Airlines Virgin Express France
External links
Virgin Express web page at archive.org Fleet in 2005 November