Virgin Atlantic Operates Its First Cargo-Only Flight

On 21 March 2020, we operated our first dedicated cargo-only charter flight, connecting London Heathrow with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Flight VS698 was operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered G-VSPY and named Miss Moneypenny. With no passengers onboard, the aircraft carried essential pharmaceutical and medical products at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was severely disrupting international aviation. The aircraft transported approximately 12.5 tonnes of cargo, loaded onto 11 pallets in its hold. The flight was operated by Captain Steve Wrigley, First Officer James Bennett and Cabin Service Supervisor Katie Lang. The goods were being shipped to the United States by a UK-based pharmaceutical company, with the aircraft scheduled to return to Heathrow carrying inbound freight. The operation required close coordination between our cargo, flight operations, engineering and airport teams. Although we had transported freight alongside passengers since the airline's early years, this was the first time we had operated a dedicated commercial charter carrying cargo without passengers. The flight was arranged as widespread cancellations sharply reduced the availability of air freight capacity, even as businesses and healthcare supply chains continued to depend on international transport. The service demonstrated how we could adapt our existing aircraft and operations to meet urgent freight demand during the pandemic. It was followed by further cargo-only flights, which helped maintain essential supply chains while our passenger flying programme remained heavily restricted.