So it goes without saying that Virgin Atlantic is arguably one of the most recognizable brands in the aviation industry today. With the striking red livery and of course the famous flying lady, Virgin Atlantic's planes are unique in so many ways. But how is it an airline that was once on the receiving end of much negativity, turned themselves around and became a leading airline within the British market? Well the history of Virgin Atlantic starts with the Falkland Wars in 1982. At the time, Laker Airways flew over the Atlantic with Laker's Sky Train and the pilots put together plans for a regular service from the UK to the islands. However, further analysis showed that the scheme was unviable commercially. There wasn't much interest because travel at time was only starting to take off and it was reserved only for the elite. Instead, a small team tried to get a license in 1983 to fly from Gatwick to GFK, but ultimately it was blocked by British Airways and British Caledonian. Under the name of British Atlantic Airways, another route from Newark was considered, where it was only after the representatives of the airline met with Richard Branson that the airline was named Virgin Atlantic. And in 1984, the airline was finally launched, starting from Gatwick to Newark using a lease to Boeing 747-200. Ironically, this plane was leased from Argentinean airline, taking over the small market share of Sky Train operation, which by then had failed into bankruptcy. The airline rapidly grew and by 1986, the airline had two Boeing 747s and started routes to GFK, Miami, Tokyo and Los Angeles. During their growth, British Airways saw them as a fierce rival, and in January 1999, the UK Civil Aviation Authority opened a door for Virgin Atlantic to operate from Heathrow and services was started from July 1999. And this is one of the major causes for the famous British Airways' dirty tricks campaign against Virgin Atlantic. In 1992, British Airways published an article in BA News, which argued that Branson's resistance at Grand Spach Airways was merely for publicity. Now, Richard Branson of course didn't like what he was hearing, so he decided to see British Airways. This matter was closed, and Branson won the lawsuit when the evidence was presented that British Airways was essentially on a mission to kill of the Virgin Atlantic brand. So, fast forward to 1997, and the airline had his first major accident. After numerous attempts to shake off the jump landing gear of the Airbus A340-300, the aircraft made an emergency landing at London Heathrow Airport. The aircraft and the runway were damaged as the landing gear collapsed, although the aircraft was evacuated safely, causing only minor injuries. So, in December 1999, 49% of Virgin Atlantic was sold the Singapore Airlines for £600m. Now, this was a great partnership because it gave amazing perks to each of his members of the airline's frequent flyer scheme. By 2003, the airline was interested in Australia following the collapse of Anset and the plants turned into Virgin Blue. Meanwhile, in early 2006, Virgin Blue announced their intentions to operate up to some flights a week to the US using Los Angeles International Airport, and by 2008, these plants had turned into V-Australia. So, fast forward all the way to June 2015, and Richard Branson has admitted that Virgin Atlantic would be in real trouble without the strategic support from Delta Airlines. With cumulative losses between 2010 and 2013, amounting to £233m, the future of the 30-year-old airline was in tow. In the same month, the airline announced that it would cut 500 jobs to establish a more efficient management structure. They also announced their intentions to form a joint venture with Air France KLM. Under this agreement, Air France KLM would acquire 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic, currently held by the Virgin Group for £220m. Virgin Atlantic would retain their independence as a UK airline and with the UK operating certificate, and it would also continue to fly under the Virgin brand. But despite all of the glitz and glamour that the airline will try to dazzle you with, they are under serious financial trouble. Great efforts have been put forward to rectify the issues they are currently facing, and although things are slowly improving for the better, it will still take a long time to regain their market share that they once had. So there you go my friends, that was the brief history of Virgin Atlantic, one of the frontiers of the British aviation market. Now I'm curious to know whether you've flown with the airline, and if so, how was your experience. Do share your opinions and thoughts in the comments below, like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video, and I hope to catch you guys in the next one.