Virgin Atlantic has announced flying from London Heathrow, in an addition to it’s trips to Accra, Ghana — which will operate for the first time since 2013, with the launch in May 2025 and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from March 2025.
The two routes will be on sale from 12 September 2024.
The Airline recently announced plans to return to Toronto, Canada— which is its first Canadian route in a decade
For the first time, the airline will launch a daily service to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The service aims to participate in the growth expected from Saudi Vision 2030.
The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia hoped to trade £30 billion by 2030, with an annual value of £17.1 billion in 2023. Between 2019 and 2035, air travel between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom is expected to increase by 24%.
Riyadh is in gowth mode, with an extended midtown business district, F1 circuit, theme park, shopping and entertainment buildings.
The city is also an excellent starting point from which to explore the country’s many cultural attractions, such as Jeddah’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, Al Ula, Al Ahsa, and Hima’s stunning rock art.
Saudi Arabia is world’s twentieth biggest economy, the biggest in the Middle East with a populace of 37 million.
The market is expected to have a predominantly Saudi Arabian point of sale, which will see customers visiting the UK, as well as seamlessly connecting to twelve destinations throughout North America, on Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks, including Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Boston and Detroit.
Alongside business travellers, the route will serve the ‘visiting friends and relatives’ (VFR) market, which has seen a fivefold increase in Saudis living in the UK between 2000 and 2018.
The airline’s cutting-edge A330neo, the most recent addition to its fleet, will operate daily flights to Riyadh. The first flight will depart from London Heathrow on March 30, 2025.
Virgin Atlantic will offer 30 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight for companies looking to export and import goods, such as fresh produce and specialised goods, including pharmaceuticals, between Riyadh and prime markets in the UK and US.
Riyadh is additionally home to the airline’s SkyTeam partner, Saudia. As the airline expands its strategic partnership with Saudia, the partnership will provide onward connections to Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, as well as additional Saudi Arabian, Bangladeshi, and Chinese destinations.
Flying Club members will earn and redeem Virgin Points across Saudia’s flying programme, alongside SkyTeam partners.
All Saudia operated flights from London Heathrow and Manchester to Riyadh and Jeddah are already marketed by Virgin Atlantic, and on sale across all sales channels, offering multi-daily departures between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Accra:
From May 2025, Virgin Atlantic will resume daily flights to Kotoka International Airport in the nation’s capital, Accra, for the first time since 2013. The airline will give truly necessary competition on the route, which at present comes up short on selection of courses between the two nations.
The UK is home to the third largest Ghanaian diaspora in the world and the new service will respond to demand to visit friends and relatives. Around 10% of customers are also expected to connect through London onto Virgin Atlantic’s New York JFK service.
Launching on 1 May 2025, the daily service will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft boasting the airline’s Upper Class, Premium and Economy Delight, Classic and Light cabins, as well as an onboard bar.
Accra is expected to be a very strong cargo route and Virgin Atlantic will offer 30 tonnes of capacity on each flight carrying goods, such as fresh produce, between Ghana and key markets in the UK and US.
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The return to Canada of the company’s North American expansion was also recently announced.
The airline’s first route to the country in more than a decade will commence on 30th March 2025, with direct flights between London Heathrow and Toronto Pearson International Airport, marking the airline’s expansion in North America and into Canada’s financial hub.
Customers traveling to India via London from the newly launched Bengaluru destination, in addition to Mumbai and Delhi, which both operate twice daily, will benefit from the new service’s use of a mix of aircraft, including the A330neo.
The Toronto route is operated as part of the airline’s joint partnership with Air France, Delta and KLM, and in partnership with Canadian airline, Westjet.
