Richard Branson visits Tampa airport to celebrate new nonstop London route

The Virgin Atlantic impresario and local leaders greeted the arrival of the airline’s Airbus A330neo.

By Brian Hartz
| 11:56 a.m. November 3, 2022
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Billionaire Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, celebrates the airline's new direct route from Tampa to London on Wednesday at Tampa International Airport. (Courtesy photo)

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

Tampa Bay leaders rubbed shoulders with celebrity businessman and Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson on Wednesday to mark the debut of the airline’s nonstop route from Tampa International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Branson, clad in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey, met with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Chairman Gary Harrod and TIA CEO Joe Lopano on the tarmac as they greeted the arrival of Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus 330neo, whose passenger manifest, according to a news release, included Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss. Guests aboard the aircraft were treated to an array of Tampa Bay cuisine, including Cuban sandwiches, key lime pies and Two Tribes Floridian beer.