Virgin Atlantic to fly to Canada for first time in 10 years in broader 3-route enlargement
Virgin Atlantic is increasing its community with the addition of three “new” locations.
The U.Okay.-based provider introduced this week that it could add service to Accra, Ghana; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Toronto for the upcoming summer time season.
To start out, Virgin will fly from its hub at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) every day starting on March 30, 2025.
The Toronto flight will likely be operated by a mixture of the Airbus A330-300 and the Airbus A330-900neo, and I would suggest selecting the latter when you’re versatile. Virgin’s A330neo is the most recent jet within the provider’s fleet and options the Retreat Suite and The Loft social area for business-class passengers.
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For these based mostly in North America, Virgin’s return to Canada — and Toronto specifically — has been a very long time coming. The provider final flew to Vancouver in October 2014, in response to Cirium schedules, however Toronto service was scrapped again in 2001.
Along with Toronto, Virgin may even launch flights from LHR to Riyadh’s King Khalid Worldwide Airport (RUH) on March 30, 2025. These day by day flights will function completely utilizing the Airbus A330neo.
Lastly, Virgin’s enlargement 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 enlargement comes because the provider sees robust indicators to recommend the timing is true to reenter these markets.
In Canada, Virgin says its flight will likely be supported by vacationers heading to India by way of 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 will function in partnership with Virgin’s Canadian associate, Westjet, which altogether can provide many extra one-stop itineraries.
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In the meantime, Virgin believes that its return to Ghana will likely be profitable as a result of the market wants extra competitors. The route from London to Accra is at present operated completely by British Airways with day by 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 family members) site visitors, Virgin stated. The U.Okay. is residence 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 part of Toronto as new routes for summer time flying in 2025, and we see enormous alternatives to attach pals, family members and companies with our new companies. We’re additionally delighted to construct on our codeshare with SkyTeam associate Saudia, additional strengthening connectivity within the area, and past, and bringing new advantages to our loyal clients,” Juha Jarvinen, Virgin’s chief industrial officer, stated in a press release.
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