Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides on Thursday revealed the corporate has seen steadily growing demand from potential area vacationers, as the c
Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides on Thursday revealed the corporate has seen steadily growing demand from potential area vacationers, as the corporate edges nearer to its objective of starting business flights this 12 months.
The variety of folks telling the corporate they wish to fly to the sting of area “retains ticking up by a superb chunk each month,” Whitesides advised CNBC’s Morgan Brennan on “Squawk on the Street.”
“In a while within the 12 months we’ll re-open these gross sales,” Whitesides mentioned.
Shares of Virgin Galactic rose 5.4% in buying and selling to shut at $12.04.
The corporate has 603 reservations on its books, with tickets going for $250,000 per individual. However Virgin Galactic froze ticket gross sales after a crash in 2014 killed a pilot throughout a take a look at flight. After updating its spacecraft, and spending the previous few years verifying its security, Virgin Galactic has flown 5 folks to area on two profitable take a look at flights.
Virgin Galactic mentioned in its third-quarter outcomes that – following these take a look at flights – the corporate acquired 3,557 expressions of curiosity in flight reservations. The corporate reported these quarterly leads to November, shortly following its public debt on the New York Stock Exchange.
Whitesides advised buyers at Morgan Stanley’s current area summit that the excessive demand for tickets means his firm could increase its prices substantially for first…