29 June 07

VIRGIN NIGERIA CELEBRATES TWO YEARS OF OPERATIONS

Lagos, Nigeria: 29 June 2007: It's been two years since Virgin Nigeria commenced commercial operations as they took to the skies on June 28, 2005 with a direct Lagos to London flight.

Commenting on the second anniversary, the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Conrad Clifford said: "From the start of operations, Virgin Nigeria has airlifted over 1.5m passengers safely across its route network, emphasizing its status as a safe, dependable and first choice airline for the perceptive traveller".

"Virgin Nigeria has remained at the forefront of consistently low fares on our domestic routes and we have provided value for money for international travellers. We, at Virgin Nigeria consider this to be the true measure of our success and we are committed to introducing even more innovative and pocket friendly packages for our customers. Above all else, we will continue to operate in accordance with the highest international safety standards by adhering strictly to manufacturer's and airworthiness procedures as well as all regulatory policies.", Clifford further stated.

Within two years in operation, Virgin Nigeria has consistently introduced varying bouquets of innovations such as online booking and payment, eagleflier® as well as many promotional offers to London and other destinations. Today, the standards set by Virgin Nigeria are used as a yardstick to measure airline operations in Nigeria.

Virgin Nigeria has a current work force of about 1000 employees spread over Lagos, Sokoto, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Calabar on the domestic route network and the outstations in United Kingdom, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon and Ghana.

Virgin Nigeria is also poised to commence direct flight operations to New York in a few months time having submitted her application to the U.S. Department of Transport.

The airline has also achieved a 95 per cent e-ticketing compliance on her global network with a strong indication it will achieve 100 per cent e-ticketing in the coming weeks, months ahead of the IATA target. In a few days time also, the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled booking will be introduced to enable passengers make their bookings on the move via their mobile phones.

A key innovation is the introduction of the eagleflier®, the Frequent Flyer Programme that offers loyal customers an opportunity of converting locally earned miles on the international routes. This product, a first of its kind in Nigeria, has been lauded by all Nigerians as it gives them the home advantage, something no other frequent flyer programme has been able to offer.

Another key achievement of Virgin Nigeria in her two years of operations, is interline agreements with most 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 Virgin Nigeria tickets to feed into the international network of these global airlines.

Virgin Nigeria which was recently voted the Airline of the Year at the This Day Awards has won other awards and has been nominated for several other major awards such as her nomination as one of Africa's best airlines by the Association of South Africa Travel Agents.

Just recently, Virgin Nigeria relocated her corporate headquarters to Etiebets Place in Ikeja so as to better coordinate her activities towards the actualisation of the company's business objectives.

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.