AIRLINE Virgin Atlantic has begun flights to Vancouver in Canada.

Sir Richard Branson, the airline’s president, was joined on the first flight to the western Canadian city by British Olympian Amy Williams, who won gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

The new service from Heathrow airport will operate four times a week and is Virgin’s 32nd worldwide route.

Meanwhile, British Airways’ parent company IAG has been given permission for a revenue-sharing deal with Japanese airline JAL on routes between Europe and Japan – allowing BA and JAL to co-operate commercially on flights.

IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said the joint business, set to launch by late March, 2013, would bring great benefits to consumers”.