Partnerships at the heart of Virgin Atlantic’s India growth strategy: CEO Shai Weiss

Virgin Atlantic is placing a major focus on India, with partnerships forming the backbone of its expansion strategy, according to CEO Shai Weiss.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Weiss said recent collaborations with IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, and Air France-KLM are central to broadening connectivity and tapping into the growing demand for international travel from India. “Partnerships power our success, I’ve said that many times,” he said.

The alliance with IndiGo, in particular, is allowing Virgin Atlantic to access tier-2 and tier-3 cities across India without launching its own domestic flights. “We’re already connected to 36 domestic flights via IndiGo, our partner, and they’re growing rapidly,” Weiss added, noting that further expansion would depend on demand.

Virgin Atlantic shifted focus to India in 2019, ahead of other Asian markets like China. Since then, it has grown from operating one daily flight to five flights a day across three Indian cities. “That was a bet, and I think it’s going to pay off handsomely,” he said.

Although a significant portion of India–UK traffic is led by those visiting friends and family, Weiss said business travel is on the rise—particularly as the India–UK Free Trade Agreement advances. He pointed to the airline’s new route to Bengaluru as a response to growing demand from technology hubs. “It’s not lost on us that this economy is no longer just a service economy; it’s becoming a manufacturing and technology-driven economy,” he said.

On the technology front, Virgin Atlantic has extended its two-decade partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for another seven years. Weiss described the move as a “renewal of vows,” saying TCS will continue to support the airline’s transformation—covering areas such as cloud migration, app development, and AI-led personalisation. “We’re launching a new app this year called ‘The World of Virgin Atlantic in Your Pocket’. It has to be built and transformed, and AI is behind it all,” he said.

Amit Kapur, Country Head of UK & Ireland at TCS, said the next phase of the partnership will focus on agility, innovation, and enhancing customer experience. “The next era is about how we uplift consumer experience, enhance airline efficiency, and make operations agile enough to explore new business models,” he said.

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