Virgin Atlantic limit being expressed upon everything associated with starting up operations. Virgin Atlantic became profitable within the first 12 months, aided by sister company Virgin Records' ability to finance the lease of a secondhand Boeing 747. The firm had timed its operations to take advantage of a full summer, from June to September, which was typically the most profitable period of the year. In November 1984 the airline launched a service between Gatwick Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport in the Netherlands using a chartered BAC One-Eleven. In 1986 the airline added another Boeing 747 to its fleet and started a scheduled
Asheville Regional Airport (MCO) both via Charlotte. Piedmont was the only airline operating jet service into Asheville by February 1985 according to the OAG with Boeing 727-200 and Fokker F28 Fellowship nonstop flights from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte and Roanoke as well as direct one stop 727 service from Denver, Miami and New York LaGuardia Airport plus direct one stop F28 service from New York Newark Airport. This same OAG also lists nonstop Delta Connection flights from Atlanta operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) on behalf of Delta on a code sharing basis with de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and Short 360 turboprops