30 May 07

VIRGIN NIGERIA RELOCATES CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS TO IKEJA

Lagos, Nigeria: 30 May 2007: Etiebet's place on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja is now the new corporate headquarters of Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited.

The relocation is necessitated by the need for better coordination of activities and closeness to its operational base, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.

Speaking on the relocation to Etiebet's place in Ikeja, the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Conrad Clifford said: "We have since the inception of the airline longed to have our corporate headquarters at Ikeja and this dream has now materialised as Virgin Nigeria has from Monday, 28 May, 2007 moved into six floors of the building".

"The new corporate headquarters will bring all the departments under one roof and closer to our operational base. With this arrangement, there will be strong cohesion and proper coordination among all departments towards the actualisation of the company's business objectives".

With an initial handful of employees, Virgin Nigeria has consistently grown her workforce and presently has about 1000 employees made up of 900 Nigerians and 100 expatriates, among which are 70 pilots, 200 cabin crew members and other key staffs spread over all the cities where Virgin Nigeria operates in Nigeria and the outstations in United Kingdom, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon and Accra.

Within the same period, Virgin Nigeria developed a strong network of international, regional and domestic route networks such that as of today, it makes 30 flights a day, thus making it the biggest airline operating in Nigeria.

Virgin Nigeria also launched a host of customer friendly products, including the eagleflier Frequent Flyer Programme, Nigerian cuisine and movies as well as promotional fares in all its routes. Only this weekend, Virgin Nigeria achieved e-ticketing in all its domestic routes in Nigeria.

Another key achievement as we move out of Ark Towers is our interline agreements with other major airlines, like Virgin Atlantic, North American Airlines, Air France / KLM, Emirates, Air Senegal, Kenya Airways, South Africa Airways and Qatar Airways. This arrangement enables passengers buying our tickets to feed into the international network of these global airlines.

Also, Virgin Nigeria was recently voted the Airline of the Year at the ThisDay Awards and was nominated one of Africa's best airlines by the Association of South Africa Travel Agents.

About Virgin Nigeria:
Virgin Nigeria is the registered, fully private sector flag carrier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, owned 51% by Nigerian Institutional shareholders and 49% by Virgin Atlantic.

The airline operates the following

intercontinental services:
Lagos to London: Daily
Johannesburg: Three times a week
 

Regional services:
Accra: Eleven times a week
Douala: Two times a week
Dakar: Two times a week

Domestic services:
Lagos - Abuja: Eight times daily
***Lagos - Owerri: Three times daily
***Lagos - Port Harcourt: Three times daily
Lagos - Kano:: Six times a week
Abuja - Kano: Six times a week
Lagos - Sokoto (via Abuja): Three times a week
Abuja - Sokoto: Three times a week
Lagos- Calabar: Six times a week

For reservations, call (01) 460 0505; (01) 271 1111; (09) 461 0505; (084) 460505

For all press enquiries, please contact: corporatecommunications@virginnigeria.com

For media information in Nigeria only, please contact Corporate Communications, 3rd floor, Ark towers, Plot 17 Ligali Ayorinde Street, VI, or corpcomm@virginnigeria.com; 234 -1 – 2711144

For media information in the UK please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747 373.