MUMBAI: Virgin Atlantic, the airline partner for the Return of the Spice Girls world tour, is launching a jumbo competition for Spice Girls fans all around the globe.

To help celebrate the world tour, the girls are asking their fans to help them choose the name of a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet which will be christened in their honour.

The members Emma, Geri, Melanie C, Mel B and Victoria have come up with a shortlist for fans to choose from which is the following three options:

1) Spice One2) Girl Power3) Spice Girl

The name which receives the most votes before the competition`s closing date on 5 December 2007 will win and one entrant will be selected at random to meet the band. The Spice Girls will take part in an official naming ceremony next month.

Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson says, Were delighted to offer one of our planes for the unique ceremony, especially since the name will be chosen by Spice Girl fans worldwide. Whichever name wins, one thing is for sure ?“ you would be plane crazy to miss out on the opportunity to take part.

Fans can vote for their favourite name online on the official Spice Girls website www.thespicegirls.com. The lucky winner and their guest will fly to, or within, the US during December to meet the Spice Girls as they name the aircraft. The competition will close on 5 December.

Virgin Atlantic has a fleet of 38 aircraft and all have individual names ranging from Scarlett Lady to Atlantic Angel and Pretty Woman and even a Miss Behavin! Very few of its aircraft have been named after people. However in 1993 Princess Diana had an aircraft named after her which was called Lady in Red. In 2002 Claudia Schiffer named an aircraft Claudia Nine. HRH Queen Elizabeth II named one of our A340-600 aircraft Queen of the Skies at the Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse during an official visit to France.

Last month Virgin Atlantic had announced that the Spice Girls chose it as the airline partner for the Return of the Spice Girls world tour. The partnership deal will see Virgin Atlantic providing flights for the Spice Girls, as well as the whole team who are responsible for the World Tour. The deal will also include promotional tie-ups and consumer competitions.