Virgin Atlantic

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LHR · MAN
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Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900
Photo (resized and cropped): 4300streetcar / CC BY 4.0

Company

Airline headquartered in the UK. Founded 1984. Pilot bases include London (LHR) and Manchester (MAN). Fleet includes the A330-300, A330neo and A350-1000.

Company details2 facts · Fleet · Sources
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Founded
1984

FleetTypes listed by the airline

  • A330-300
  • A330neo
  • A350-1000
  • B787-9

SourcesVirgin Atlantic “Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Atlantic Holidays Privacy Notice”Virgin Atlantic “Our story”Virgin Atlantic “Pilot Jobs with Virgin Atlantic”

Pay

Taxed (United Kingdom)

Virgin Atlantic Captain, estimated annual pay

$306K

Virgin Atlantic First Officer, estimated annual pay

$167K

Our estimate

Submitted payREAL PAY

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Who it covers, what’s included, and when
Captain
The table’s estimated total incl. allowances for a “Year 14+ Captain”, ~£224,000 a year (gross).As of: March 2026
First Officer
Midpoint, £122,500, of the table’s ~£115,000 - £130,000 incl. allowances for a “Senior F/O (5+ yrs)” (gross).As of: March 2026

SourcesReady For Take-Off Book, “Virgin Atlantic | Pilot Pay, Rosters, Fleet & Benefits”Published 16 March 2026 · checked 30 October 2026

Jobs

Airline’s careers page
Leave
Paid annual leave (the number of days is not stated)Pilot recruitment page
Staff travel
Staff travel on the company’s own and selected other airlinesPilot recruitment page
Cadet recruitment
Currently paused while the program is redesignedPilot FAQs
Requirements (first officers)
First officers 1,500 hours, senior first officers 3,000 hours (on the A320, A330, A350 or A380, or Boeing 737 to 787); without UK right to work, a Skilled Worker visa, with the company aiming to cover the costPilot jobs page for experienced first officers and senior first officers
Sources3

Virgin Atlantic “Pilot Jobs with Virgin Atlantic”checked 19 October 2026Virgin Atlantic “Pilot FAQs”checked 19 October 2026Virgin Atlantic “Pilot Jobs, Visa”checked 29 October 2026

Destinations & layovers

BaseLHR · MAN View on Google Maps

13 airports

Sourcesbasis · conditions · date
Conditions
  • Airports in official materials from Virgin Atlantic and on international segments to and from the US flown by Virgin Atlantic scheduled passenger flights in the US DOT (BTS) July 2026 traffic data. Base airports are not included.
  • Destinations confirmed in our research: 13 airports, as of 29 October 2026. This may not be every destination. It does not show which aircraft types or bases fly there, or whether crews lay over.
  • Sorted by region (cities with a photo first), not by popularity or number of flights.
As of
Checked in our research on 29 October 2026
Photo credits7

Tell us one thing about Virgin Atlantic.

You can save after answering just one question. Answers are anonymous and appear on the airline page once three pilots have answered the same item.

Answers so far

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Roster10 questions
Commuting and taxis8 questions
Staff Travel10 questions
Upgrade to captain4 questions
Training and career8 questions
Leave and allowances9 questions
Hotels and restaurantsBy destination · pilots only

Reviews

Member posts: —
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Virgin Atlantic captain salary in 2026?

Virgin Atlantic captain pay is estimated at about $306K per year, pre-tax. These are our own estimates from public information, not figures the airline publishes.

What is the Virgin Atlantic first officer salary?

Virgin Atlantic first officer pay is estimated at about $167K per year, pre-tax, rising with seniority.

What are the requirements to become a Virgin Atlantic pilot?

Captain / First Officer — International operations. London-based. Key requirements: License / Rating: UK CAA ATPL (or converted from EASA); English: ICAO Level 4 or above; Type Rating: A350/B787 preferred. We have not been able to confirm flight-hour requirements the airline publishes; the airline’s careers page is linked under Jobs above. Virgin is known for its unconventional hiring process, valuing individuality and a service-minded spirit.

What is the Virgin Atlantic pilot salary per month?

We do not publish a monthly figure for Virgin Atlantic. An annual figure divided by twelve is not what lands in a given month — what you are paid moves with the hours you fly.

What is the Virgin Atlantic pilot pay scale?

We estimate annual pay for Virgin Atlantic captains at about $306K. That is our own estimate from public information, not a figure Virgin Atlantic publishes. These are gross figures, before income tax. The actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. We estimate annual pay for Virgin Atlantic first officers at about $167K. That is our own estimate from public information, not a figure Virgin Atlantic publishes. These are gross figures, before income tax. The actual figure moves with the aircraft type, years of service and the routes you fly. Source checked 2026-10-30; yen figures are converted for comparison at the rate held as of 2026-08-22, not a live rate.

Is the Virgin Atlantic pilot salary before or after tax?

Every figure on this page is gross, before income tax. Take-home depends on where you are resident and on your own deductions, so no single percentage applies, and we do not publish one. Airlines based in countries with no personal income tax — the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia — leave more of the same gross figure in your hand.