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Riding high: The Founder, Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, arrives at a press conference of Fever 104 FM Radio in which Virgin has a stake, in the Capital on Monday. - Ramesh Sharma

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Nov 19

The most obliging ambassador of Virgin, Chairman, Sir Richard Branson, came dressed as a groom riding into his press conference on Billo the horse. If the barati-horse was wondering what the fuss was all about, it was not the only one, passers by wondered aloud “whose marriage is it?”

The “union” formalised by an exchange of headphones was that of Sir Richard and Mr Rajiv Verma (CEO, HT Media) from his Indian radio partner Fever. “I thought this would be a quiet press conference, with no photo-op. But when I reached they threw these clothes at me and said I had to get married. I have never married a man before. I didn’t know it was legal in India,” he joked.

If Sir Richard had his way he would make an entry of a different kind. He would love to fly in on a double-decker Airbus A-380. Virgin Atlantic plans to acquire six A-380 aircraft and expects to take delivery of them in the next two and half years.

“We have actually asked them for bigger planes, to stretch the top of the plane and make it more economical. And Airbus is seriously considering that,” he said. “If that happens we could bring it to India. However, the airport at Delhi would require a runway. The only thing holding us back is infrastructure.”

Showmanship does not seem new for Sir Richard. In 2000 on his maiden trip to India in rode and elephant and drove around in an auto rickshaw dressed as a typical autorickshaw driver to announce the start of Virgin Atlantic Airlines operations to India.

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