Virgin Atlantic: Helping Nigerian entrepreneurs take off, every day

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson over 30 years ago after he decided the UK aviation industry needed shaking up and an injection of style. On 22nd June 1984, Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural flight to Newark took place, on an aircraft filled with personal friends, celebrities and the media.

From that moment on the airline pioneered a range of innovations setting new standards of service. For example, Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to introduce the Premium Economy product, include a bar in every aircraft for Upper Class customers, offer seatback TVs on every seat in every cabin, develop a fully flatbed seat and fly a commercial aircraft on biofuels. Despite Virgin Atlantic’s growth, the service still remains customer driven with an emphasis on value for money, quality, fun and innovation.

Today, Virgin Atlantic flies to over 30 destinations worldwide, including locations across the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Virgin Atlantic currently has a fleet of 39 aircraft, which is comprised of Boeing 747s, Boeing 787s, Airbus A340-600s and A330-300s.

No one embodies the Virgin Atlantic entrepreneurial spirit better than Nasir Yammama and Sophia Onu. Together they won the Virgin Atlantic and British Council enterprise challenge. The Enterprise Challenge was launched in 2014 as an online competition developed by the British Council Nigeria, and Virgin Atlantic to help young Nigerians reach for the sky. The competition provides a platform for young, brilliant entrepreneurial minds to further develop their skills and businesses.

This is a sponsored content brought to you by Virgin Atlantic.