A UK long-haul airline with its head office in Crawley and its main base at Heathrow, running engineering apprenticeships, graduate engineering roles and more than 150 apprenticeships.
Virgin Atlantic is a British airline that flies passengers between the UK and destinations in North America, the Caribbean and beyond, with its main hub at London Heathrow and a second base at Manchester. It began in 1984, when its first flight went from Gatwick to Newark, and Sir Richard Branson later took over the business. Its head office, known as the VHQ, is in Crawley, West Sussex. Teams include pilots, cabin crew, engineers, airport staff, cargo, data and technology.
The airline's careers page says its mission is that "everyone can take on the world", and it describes a goal to be the most loved travel company. It also says it is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates difference and that its leadership is built on collaboration, innovation and excellence. These are the company's words. Its Chief People Officer said in February 2026 that "Our people are at the heart of everything we do."
In the UK, Virgin Atlantic's engineering apprentices work at its Heathrow maintenance facility, with some learning off-site in the Cotswolds, and assessment centres take place at the VHQ in Crawley. A 2026 engineering apprenticeship listing gave a Hounslow location. Its Heathrow engineering hangar has also hosted school students for National Apprenticeship Week.
The airline says that more than 150 apprenticeships are active across 45 programmes in engineering, aviation operations and data and AI, that 80% of its Engineering Leadership Team began as apprentices or graduates, and that its intakes have a 50/50 gender split (February 2026, company figures). In 2019 it let female cabin crew choose whether to wear make-up or trousers, and in 2022 it introduced gender-neutral uniform options.
The engineering apprenticeship advertised for September 2025 lasted 27 months, led towards a Cat A licensed aircraft engineer qualification, and paid £25,061 in year one rising to above £25,779 in year two (as at 2025). It asked for typically four GCSEs at grade C or 5 or above including maths, English and science, age 16 or over, and legal right to work in the UK; the training costs were paid by the company. A 2026 intake also existed, closing on 2 April 2026, but we did not read its details. Other routes listed include apprenticeships in software engineering, data and cargo strategy, and graduate engineering roles; a 2022 release described a 24-month engineering graduate scheme with rotations across propulsion, airframe, avionics, cabin and structures. Check the careers site for current intakes.
Website: www.virginatlantic.com
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