Virgin Atlantic to ask for state aid to avoid bankruptcy

The Financial Times has reported this afternoon that Virgin Atlantic is about to submit an official request for state aid to avoid bankruptcy.

The article is behind a paywall but you can see it by clicking here to trigger the correct Google search and then clicking the top result.

As we covered on Monday, the Government has ruled out offering a sector-wide package of support for the aviation industry.  The letter from the Chancellor – there is a PDF of the letter in our article – said that the Government would only be willing to open discussions as a ‘last resort’.

The FT claims that easyJet, Loganair, Eastern and Norwegian are considering a similar request.  Loganair and Eastern are considered more likely to be successful given their role in supporting the UK regions – although this logic didn’t help Flybe when it requested support.  I imagine that Loganair would get support from the Scottish Parliament if it came to the crunch.

The strategy of trying to end up as ‘last man standing’ before asking for support, because you can’t let the last man collapse, does work as you can see.

Part of the problem is believed to be the diverse ownership base of UK airlines.  British Airways is part of a Spanish company whose dominant shareholder is the state of Qatar.

Virgin Atlantic is 49% owned by a US airline.  Wizz, Norwegian and Ryanair’s UK operations are subsidiaries of Hungarian, Norwegian and Irish airlines.  Even easyJet, which is UK headquartered and listed, is 36% controlled by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou who is based in Monaco.

The article also contains some interesting cash burn figures:

Ryanair has enough cash to not fly for 18 months, and could do a sale and leaseback of its aircraft which would support it for an additional 30+ months

easyJet has enough cash to last for 10 months and could do a sale and leaseback on 70% of its fleet to gain a further substantial extension (easyJet’s actions in recent weeks do not necessarily fit with this claim – it is not acting like an airline with enough cash in the bank to weather a 10 month shutdown)

Virgin Atlantic had cash of £489m at the end of 2018 but net debt stood at £1.5bn.  It only owned 25% of its fleet outright, giving it minimal flexibility to raise funds via a sale and leaseback

You can find out more in the full Financial Times article using the link in the second paragraph.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

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The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

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Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.