OCS gets aircraft cleaning contract with Virgin Atlantic off the ground

OCS has mobilised a new three-year aircraft cleaning contract with Virgin Atlantic, deploying 240 colleagues across Heathrow and Manchester airports.

The contract went from award to live operation in 84 days. OCS secured property, transferred over 200 colleagues under TUPE, and acquired seven new high-lift vehicles at Heathrow and two at Manchester, alongside a new fleet of minibuses, permits and licences, to set up a brand-new operation at two of the UK’s largest airports.

Virgin Atlantic went to market for a partner capable of raising the standard of cabin cleanliness, improving voice-of-customer scores, and strengthening on-time performance. Teams clean each aircraft in an average turnaround of 45 minutes, alongside daily secure cleans, deep cleans, hold loading, and laundering thousands of blankets and pillows. Every colleague on the contract undergoes a five-year security vetting process, qualifying them to carry out the mandatory security checks required before each aircraft can depart.

OCS has introduced a smart resource allocation platform that draws on real-time aircraft movement data to dispatch and allocate colleagues across both above and below wing services, from cabin cleaning to hold provisioning and water and waste servicing, particularly around last-minute schedule changes. The system also allows frontline teams to capture evidence of task completion as they work, giving Virgin Atlantic clear visibility of delivery throughout each aircraft turnaround.

The leadership structure includes an account manager, three duty managers, and a dedicated voice-of-customer role, new to the Virgin Atlantic account, which feeds passenger feedback directly back into the operation.

Richard Marshall, Sector Managing Director – Transport, OCS UK & Ireland: “There’s a natural fit between OCS and Virgin Atlantic: two iconic British brands bringing their experience together at real scale. It’s a significant contract for us, and one that reflects well on what organisations can achieve when they work closely together.”

Harry Higham, Manager, Partnerships Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic Airways: “Choosing the right partner for this contract was one of the most important decisions we made. OCS brought the reliability and consistency we needed and gives us confidence we can keep improving together as the relationship develops.”

OCS’ laundry operation supporting the Virgin Atlantic contract is delivered under a separate agreement.