Always full of initiative, Virgin Atlantic is set to open doors to its last Boeing 747 aircraft for one day only next Saturday 12 December.

It was a 747 that launched Virgin Atlantic on 22 June 1984.  BTN’s John Bell was on the inaugural flight.  His memoir of the airline was published here 36 years later. (See BTN 22 June ON TOUR: Virgin Atlantic – A Short History)

Hosted at the airline’s Heathrow hangar on 12 December, visitors will experience a full aircraft tour, where they can delve below deck to explore areas of the plane the public rarely see, as well as enjoy a sumptuous three course on-board meal. All proceeds from the £50 per person ticket sales will be donated to The Trussell Trust which supports a network of food banks and provide emergency food and support whilst campaigning for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

Virgin Atlantic pilots, cabin crew and engineers who have worked on the 747 will be present to provide first-hand accounts and anecdotes on what life was like on-board the famous jumbo jet.

British Airways 747 G-BYGC, painted in the BOAC ‘Gold Speedbird’ livery used between 1963 and 1974, will soon make the short journey from Cardiff Airport to the Bro Tathan business park in the Vale of Glamorgan where it will be maintained as a heritage piece by aviation specialists eCube.  The Negus-liveried 747, registration G-CIVB, one of the last two 747s to depart Heathrow Airport in October has also been found a permanent home at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.

https://virg.in/747experience