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
Newark Liberty International Airport Station The station opened on October 21, 2001. It is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the airport's operator, and therefore has a different design than NJT and Amtrak stations, especially the signage, which is the same as used throughout the airport. The Port Authority originally intended to name the station "Newark Airport" but changed it to "Newark Liberty International Airport" after the airport's renaming, which honors the victims of the September 11 attacks and the proximity of the airport to the Statue of Liberty. On the NEC, it is a 6-minute trip to Newark's