Virgin Australia is a privately owned company headquartered in Australia. Founded in 2000, initially as Virgin Blue, it operates in the Airlines and Aviation sector with approximately 5,540 employees. The airline commenced services on August 31, 2000, and rapidly became a major player in Australia's domestic market following the collapse of Ansett Australia in September 2001. It is one of two active airlines, along with Virgin Atlantic, that utilize the Virgin brand and is the larger of the two by fleet size. Virgin Australia's business model integrates core features of a low-cost carrier with certain elements of a full-service airline.