Virgin Atlantic, a carrier officially based out of Crawley in West Sussex, England, was originally established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways. The carrier was originally founded by Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands, although the airline’s scope would expand significantly when co-founder Fields sold his shares in the company to entrepreneur Richard Branson. The company quickly began operating transatlantic flights on June 22, 1984, with the first service from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).