Virgin Atlantic is planning an assault on the market for business-only air travel with the launch of a new fleet of aircraft that will have no space for economy class passengers.

The airline is set to launch a string of services linking Europe and the United States, in a move that will put it head to head with new carriers including Eos, Silverjet and Maxjet, all of which have launched similar business-only flights.

It will also take on Europe’s national flag carriers, including Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and Alitalia, with the launch of services from continental Europe for the first time.

Virgin is understood to have held early-stage talks with Boeing, Airbus and Embraer, the Brazilian planes maker, over a possible $700 million (£350 million) order for new aircraft.

The carrier is planning new services from London, Paris, Milan, Zurich, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. The move comes after agreement between Europe and the United States on an open skies deal, which removes restrictions on new services across the Atlantic.

Although Virgin owns valuable take-off and landing slots at London’s Heathrow airport, the carrier remains undecided on whether it will use the airport for its new premium-only services.

Securing new slots at Heathrow would prove costly and potentially difficult. It could opt instead to use Gatwick, where it already has a base, or Luton or Stansted, from where competing business-only flights depart.

Eos, which offers completely flat beds, operates services out of Stansted. Its Boeing 757 planes carry up to 48 passengers. Maxjet, which offers tilting seats, also operates from Stansted, serving other US cities including Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Silverjet, which offers near-flat beds, operates from Luton to Newark.

In Paris Virgin will face competition from L’Avion, a new carrier, while Lufthansa and Swiss also offer premium-only flights to New York.

Virgin’s $700 million order should be enough to secure up to 15 new planes, all of which will be narrow-bodied craft, similar in size to Boeing’s 737, popular on shorthaul routes. However, the company is not decided on which models will be most appropriate. It could also use some of the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft it has on order from the US manufacturer.

A spokesman for the airline said that services could begin a year from now, and would certainly be operating within 18 months.

The services are likely to offer passengers a flat-bed service, but without the lounges and car service of its current Upper Class option.

British Airways is working on plans to launch a series of transatlantic services from continental Europe to the United States. Its services are due to be launched next summer.

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