Virgin announced a wide-ranging restructure on Tuesday (5 May), which will see it cease operations at Gatwick.
However, Virgin has signalled it intends to retain its slot portfolio at Gatwick, which would allow it to resume flying from the airport when consumer demand recovers following the coronavirus crisis.
The blow comes after British Airways suspended its operations at Gatwick at the end of March, and in an internal memo, seen by TTG, said there was no certainty over when services "can or will return" at Gatwick.
Norwegian, meanwhile, this week secured support from its shareholders for a debt for equity swap to unlock state aid worth up to £230 million. The airline is Gatwick’s third largest carrier.
“We are very saddened to hear the news today about Virgin Atlantic’s plans," said a Gatwick spokesperson. "We have had a long, close and successful relationship with the airline since it made its maiden flight from Gatwick back in 1984.
"Virgin Atlantic will always be welcome at Gatwick, and we will continue our efforts to explore ways to restart the airline’s operations as soon as possible, in the knowledge they intend to retain their slot portfolio at Gatwick for when demand returns.
"This news will be devastating for its staff and the many local businesses that supply and support the airline at the airport and its HQ in Crawley. However, we will continue to work with Virgin Atlantic to get them flying again from Gatwick."
On Gatwick’s future, the spokesperson added: "The Covid-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the aviation sector, but we remain confident the industry will recover as air travel demand returns.
"We remain very optimistic about the long-term prospects of Gatwick and our resilience as a business, and having remained open throughout this pandemic, we are in a strong position to extend our current operations quickly to meet demand.
"We will continue to work closely with our other airline partners, including easyJet, the IAG Group, Wizz, TUI and Ryanair, to strengthen our business for the future. We also welcome the recent news that another of our major airline partners – Norwegian Airways – has taken important steps forward to secure its future at Gatwick.
"We look forward to all our airlines flying again soon."
