3. Virgin Atlantic
The British airline started its operations back in 1984 as the British Atlantic Airways. It is currently owned by the Virgin group, as well as Delta Air Lines, who bought the stake from Singapore Airlines for £224 million. The 49% stake had been bought from Virgin back in 1999 for £600 million and it was reportedly underperforming, which is why Singapore Airlines decided to sell the slice. Virgin Atlantic has 40 planes that fly to 31 destinations.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL), which owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic, ranks as the favorite airline stock among the funds we track and is one of the most popular stocks overall, with 109 investors reporting a stake in the company as of the end of September. Despite the fact that the number of funds falling by five between July and September, the investors from our database amassed over 20% of the company heading into the fourth quarter.
