British billionaire Sir Richard Branson set a deadline in late May to find a buyer for the affected airline Virgin Atlantic. Society must be saved from destruction because the coronacris has put it into serious trouble. An application for € 570 million in financial aid from the British government was rejected.

Branson, who has not been paying taxes in Britain for years, said it is not about him but about the 70.000 people who work at various branches of Virgin. According to the newspaper The Sunday Telegraph the pursuit of a government package of £ 500 million would have been effectively suspended and the airline is now focusing on securing new private investments. Investment bank Houlihan Lokey has been hired by Virgin Atlantic. The bank has explored more than 100 potential financial opportunities with “all options on the table". 

Branson has owned the airline since 1984, which primarily organizes long-haul flights to North and Central America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Without government support, Branson thinks it won't work out earlier this week, therefore, offered its own tropical island in the Caribbean as collateral in exchange for a loan from the British government.

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