This move will support the carrier's growing operations at the US West Coast airport.
The airline operates a twice-daily service connecting Heathrow and San Francisco; and it added another three direct flights a week from Manchester at the end of March, which is the only direct service between the two cities. Virgin Atlantic has seen high cargo volumes on nearly all of its routes from the UK to the US since the start of 2017. Following an 18% increase in tonnages from London-San Francisco in 2016, volumes for the first half of 2017 rose a further 15.5% year-on-year, boosted by shipments such as fresh salmon.
The new handling contract extends Virgin Atlantic’s working relationship with AGI in the US, where it already handles cargo for the airline in Miami, Newark and Orlando.
