After two-decade absence, major airline returns to Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga [Video]

English business magnate and international celebrity Sir Richard Branson returned to Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga a few days ago — and he brought his airline with him.

Virgin Atlantic, founded in 1984 by Branson, last week resumed daily direct flights between London Heathrow Airport and Pearson after an absence of more than two decades. When the March 30 flight touched down at Canada’s biggest and busiest airport, it marked Virgin’s first flight to Canada since 2014 (Vancouver 2012-2014) and first to Pearson since 2001.

“The airline’s first Canadian route since 2014 will connect London to Toronto, Canada’s financial and cultural centre,” Virgin Atlantic officials said in a news release. “Operating on a Boeing 787-9, the new daily service is expected to carry over 165,000 customers annually, while also offering up to 20 tonnes of cargo capacity for high-tech goods and e-commerce.”

Among those on hand this past Thursday at …