Virgin Atlantic reports strong gains in 2013

   During 2013, Virgin Atlantic Cargo experienced gains in tonnage, revenue and market share due to increased U.S. to India traffic, U.S. business gain and greater perishables traffic, according to a news release.
   Dan Parker, vice president commercial at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, stated, “The transatlantic market remains highly competitive but for us, 2013 was a good year with gains across our U.S destinations. Our total tonnage and revenue from the U.K. to the U.S. was 10 percent up year-on-year. Perishables traffic contributed strongly to the U.S. Canada and Mexico, notably fish shipments to Vancouver and San Francisco. We were also successful in gaining more business is Europe for our North American services, with Milan and Paris now in our top-15 origin stations for freight going to the U.S. Looking ahead to the prospects for 2014, we expect the market to remain steady and do not expect any big increases or decreases in shipment levels.”
   Specifically, cargo volumes from Miami to Delhi were 50-percent higher, year-over-year, while cargo transports from the U.S. via London to Mumbai also experienced gains.
   From the U.K. to the U.S., the airline carried more than 63 million kilograms in 2013, according to a news release.
   “Virgin Atlantic has been particularly successful is growing its share of the air cargo market in the U.S. Northeast. In addition to its strong performance to and from New York and Boston, the airline also achieved an 11-percent increase in tonnage from Washington, D.C., as overall tonnage from the U.S. Northeast to the UK finished the year 13-percent higher,” the report said.