Virgin Atlantic provided BAA, which ran both Heathrow and Gatwick on behalf of the UK government, and the Secretary of State for Transport granted permission. The Civil Aviation Authority also transferred two pairs of unused landing slots that British Airways held at Tokyo's Narita Airport to Virgin to let it increase its frequency between Heathrow and Tokyo from four to six weekly round trips, making it easier for Virgin to compete against British Airways. The then-chairman of BA Lord King called the CAA's decision, which the government had endorsed, "a confiscation of his company's property". In the year to October 1993, Virgin
Richmond International Airport One-Eleven and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets on nonstop flights from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The OAG also lists service into Richmond at this time in 1985 operated by four commuter and regional airlines including Air Virginia which was operating a hub at the airport flying Swearingen Metroliner turboprops nonstop from Baltimore, Charlottesville, VA, Lynchburg, VA, New Bern, NC, Newport News, New York LaGuardia Airport, New York Newark Airport, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Roanoke, VA and Washington D.C. National Airport; Delta Connection operated by Comair with nonstop Saab 340 and Swearingen Metroliner turboprop flights operated on a code sharing basis for Delta from