Virgin Atlantic is increasing its community with the addition of three “new” locations.
The U.Okay.-based service introduced this week that it could add service to Accra, Ghana; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Toronto for the upcoming summer season season.
To start out, Virgin will fly from its hub at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) each day starting on March 30, 2025.
The Toronto flight can be operated by a mixture of the Airbus A330-300 and the Airbus A330-900neo, and I might suggest selecting the latter in the event you’re versatile. Virgin’s A330neo is the latest jet within the service’s fleet and options the Retreat Suite and The Loft social house for business-class passengers.
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For these primarily based in North America, Virgin’s return to Canada — and Toronto specifically — has been a very long time coming. The service final flew to Vancouver in October 2014, in keeping with Cirium schedules, however Toronto service was scrapped again in 2001.
Along with Toronto, Virgin may also launch flights from LHR to Riyadh’s King Khalid Worldwide Airport (RUH) on March 30, 2025. These every day flights will function solely utilizing the Airbus A330neo.
Lastly, Virgin’s growth features a return to Accra, which the airline final served in 2013. This route from London to Accra will launch on Might 1 and be operated by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Curiously, Riyadh is the one true “new” vacation spot for Virgin, for the reason that airline has beforehand operated flights to Accra and Toronto.
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That stated, the growth comes because the service sees sturdy indicators to counsel the timing is correct to reenter these markets.
In Canada, Virgin says its flight can be supported by vacationers heading to India through London. It flies to the Indian cities of Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.
Plus, the airline will market the flight as a part of its three way partnership with Air France, Delta and KLM. It’s going to function in partnership with Virgin’s Canadian companion, Westjet, which altogether can supply many extra one-stop itineraries.
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In the meantime, Virgin believes that its return to Ghana can be profitable as a result of the market wants extra competitors. The route from London to Accra is at the moment operated solely by British Airways with every day flights from LHR and three-times-weekly flights from London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
This flight is designed to attraction to VFR (visiting pals and relations) visitors, Virgin stated. The U.Okay. is dwelling to one of many world’s largest Ghanaian diaspora populations, and about 10% of vacationers on this route are anticipated to attach onward to New York — one other main hub for Ghanaians.
“Riyadh and Accra be a part of Toronto as new routes for summer season flying in 2025, and we see big alternatives to attach pals, relations and companies with our new companies. We’re additionally delighted to construct on our codeshare with SkyTeam companion Saudia, additional strengthening connectivity within the area, and past, and bringing new advantages to our loyal prospects,” Juha Jarvinen, Virgin’s chief industrial officer, stated in a press release.
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