‘I decided screw it, let’s give it a go’: Richard Branson says airlines were ‘abysmal’ when he started Virgin

“I was driving to the airport and the plane was just landing from its final test flight and it came right across the motorway,” recalls Sir Richard Branson.

“I remember swerving over all three lanes, getting so excited watching the plane but not watching where I was going.”

Forty years on from the maiden flight of an upstart airline named Virgin Atlantic, the bearded billionaire is describing his feelings on the day in June 1984 when the “legacy” transatlantic carriers discovered a challenger brand.

In the 1970s Richard Branson had created a music empire, signing talent such as Mike Oldfield, Phil Collins and the Sex Pistols. With a chain of music stores as well as a record label,