Load factors on Virgin Little Red dropped as low as 35.2% in January, meaning that its aircraft were on average flying almost two thirds empty.
By comparison, the next poorest performer in January among the UK domestic scheduled airlines, was Eastern Airways, which recorded a load factor of 43.5%.
At its peak for the first half of the year, Little Red’s load factor reached just 56.2% in the more lucrative summer month of June, the Telegraph reported official data as showing.
EasyJet’s load factors jumped to 83.6% in June while Virgin’s rival British Airways registered a 76.9% load factor in the month.
Virgin Atlantic announced earlier this month that its UK domestic arm would be closed next year.
Flights between Heathrow and Manchester will cease at the end of March 2015. Services between Heathrow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will end in September next year.
The domestic airline was launched in March 2013 but is being shelved as part of an effort to return Virgin Atlantic to a position of sustainable profitability. Virgin Atlantic expects to return to the black by the end of this year.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive, Craig Kreeger, blamed the failure of the domestic airline on the “totally inadequate number” of Heathrow take-off and landing slots, which BA was forced to give up to appease competition authorities over its takeover of the loss-making UK carrier BMI in 2012.
“The time lag between the takeover of BMI and our entering the market also meant Little Red initially faced an uphill battle to win recognition and convert customers to its services,” Kreeger said earlier this month.