Richard Branson to sell $400m of shares in Virgin Galactic to help Virgin Atlantic survive
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
A new twist has emerged in the battle to keep Virgin Atlantic afloat, as Virgin Group has announced that its Vieco investment vehicle is selling up to 25 million shares in Virgin Galactic. These are worth $505 million at the current price.
20% of this money belongs to Branson’s partners in Vieco, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, leaving Virgin Group with $400 million to distribute.
In a statement, Virgin Galactic said that Sir Richard Branson would use the money to (see page 174 of this SEC filing)
“support its portfolio of global leisure, holiday and travel businesses that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of COVID-19.”
Branson had already committed an additional $250 million to Virgin Group companies on 20th April.
Whilst Virgin Atlantic will likely be the largest recipient of the proceeds it is unlikely to keep it all.
Virgin Group has other headaches, most noticeably Virgin Voyages. The new cruise line has three vessels on order, of which one has been delivered, and has had to pospone its maiden season. There may also be funding requirements at Virgin Hotels and Branson’s other hotel assets, as well as potentially any reborn Virgin Australia.
Shares in Virgin Galactic have doubled in price since the company’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange late last year. Despite never having generated any profit, the venture has been a huge success for Virgin Group. Virgin Galactic reportedly has about 600 customer reservations on its books, with the majority of tickets sold for between $200,000 and $250,000 per person.
Adjusted for the Abu Dhabi minority, Branson owns approximately 44% of Virgin Galactic and the 25m shares he intends to sell represent just under a quarter of his stake.
By selling a stake in Virgin Galactic, Virgin Group is once again proving to the UK Government that it is doing all it can to secure Virgin Atlantic’s future on commercial terms before it relies on a Government-backed loan.
With Delta Air Lines blocked from future investment due to the terms of its own bailout by the US Government, there are only two realistic options for Virgin Atlantic.
The first would be a massive rights issue, with a huge number of new shares issued. Virgin Group would invest alongside new institutional investors, and Delta would see its shareholding diluted to virtually nothing. It is possible that a Government-backed loan could be introduced as well since the new equity should improve the credit quality of the group.
The second option would be, as we discussed at the weekend, a pre-pack administration. This would see the airline put into receivership and immediately bought back by a new investor group for £1 together with a large injection of additional funding.
It would rid the group of its existing debt and lease commitments, but there are issues over whether the Heathrow slot portfolio – which is mortgaged – would be lost. All of the suppliers to the airline would also lose any money they are owed. It is hard to imagine the UK Government lending to this, as it would implicitly be encouraging businesses to go into administration in order to secure suppport.
In any event selling a stake in Virgin Galactic, together with the airline’s proposals to restructure and make 3,000 staff redundant, suggests that Virgin Group is reluctant to let the airline fail and it is a step in the right direction to ensuring its future.
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.
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
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
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
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.
Simon 
Ken 
Alex W 
Oh! Matron! 
AJA 
marcw 
James 
Kruggs 
Rob 
TripRep 
Pat the Postie 
NickAnon 
pauldb 
mr_jetlag 
Nadeshka 
davvero 
Comments (32)