Virgin Galactic shares jump after opening spaceflight ticket sales

Virgin Galactic's announcement that it is opening commercial ticket sales for flights into space brought the second biggest gains to its share price since the company began trading in 2019. — AFP

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. shares notched their second-biggest gain since trading began in 2019 after the space tourism company said it would open commercial ticket sales – a significant milestone in the path toward consumer flights.

Customers can make an initial deposit of US$150,000 (RM627,795) when sales open to the general public Wednesday, Virgin Galactic said in a statement.

Reservations will cost a total of US$450,000 (RM1.88mil) for a 90-minute spaceflight, which includes "several minutes of out-of-seat weightlessness,” the company said Tuesday.