A330 launch a ‘pivotal moment’ for Virgin Atlantic

There are also improvements through the rest of the aircraft’s classes, with Koster highlighting complete Bluetooth headset connectivity and "great power and charging operations", including wireless in social spaces and in premium cabins.

"We have something for everyone in all cabins," he said. "We’re very excited about this new addition to our cabin. We’re clearly back, I would say – this is a pivotal moment for the airline."

Koster was coy on whether any of the new features would filter down to other aircraft, or whether it would look to retrofit any older aircraft with some of the new features, but did not rule out the prospect.

"That’s something for a bit further in the future," he said, when pressed. "It would depend on the lifetime of the aircraft and how much longer it is in the fleet, whether it is worth an overhaul. There’s a lot involved, it’s aircraft time on the ground, cost, and so on.

"If there was an opportunity to do it, we’d look at that seriously. Right now, there is no immediate opportunity."

Koster added the airline’s sales team would be introducing the new features of the A330-900 to the trade, and stressed it would be deployed initially on a number of US routes.

"We’ll have a lot of material available [for the trade]," he said. "This is just the beginning, the first unveil. Our sales teams will be in touch with agents and business partners. We’ll offer a lot of material and take their input if there’s anything else they need.

"We think there will be a lot of opportunities to sell and promote Virgin Atlantic. Agents will largely see it as a transatlantic aircraft."