Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo are celebrating the fifth anniversary of their trans-Atlantic joint venture partnership.

According to the carriers, there has been a 20% in the number of Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights across the Atlantic since the JV started. The airlines now offer 74 daily flights serving 28 routes between the UK and the US, and carried over a quarter of all trans-Atlantic air cargo volumes in 2018.

“Our long-term cargo strategy is to build an unmatched trans-Atlantic partnership with our joint venture partner, Virgin Atlantic,” said Shawn Cole [left in photo], vice president of cargo at Delta. “We are focused on finding ways to work more closely, collaborate and share information – ensuring we are doing all we can to support our customers on both sides of the Atlantic. The original deal was a game changer for Delta transforming our ability to compete on trans-Atlantic routes with access to London Heathrow as much as providing Virgin Atlantic unparalleled access to Delta’s US network.”

Virgin and Delta are scheduled to move into a new warehouse at London Heathrow later this year and plan to focus on digitization and ensuring transparency throughout the shipment journey.

Delta is adding a new non-stop service between Boston and Edinburgh, while Virgin Atlantic has scheduled an additional daily flight between London Heathrow and Boston. Virgin is also adding new non-stop service between Manchester and Los Angeles, and increased frequencies between Manchester and Las Vegas, Boston and New York.

“Our intention has always been to ensure that whatever we do as a joint venture, it must deliver real benefits for our customers in terms of more choice, service quality and being easier to do business with,” said Dominic Kennedy [right in photo], managing director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo. “We are very excited about what more we can achieve as a cargo JV and have been inspired by the great relationship and mutual respect between our cargo teams. Our partnership benefits and strengthens our respective cargo businesses, leverages the best of both airlines, and, ultimately, will continue to offer new opportunities for our customers as we move forward together.”