A MAJOR Airline has scrapped flights to one of the world's largest cities after 25 years. The UK carrier had to axe its Asia-Pacific network amid longer flying times caused by Russia 's invasion of Ukraine . Virgin Atlantic has now announced it would stop its London Heathrow to Shanghai service from October 26.
An Airline spokesperson said: “Significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai. “We’re sorry for the disappointment caused to our loyal customers and anyone booked to travel from 26 October 2024 will be offered a refund.” A year earlier, Virgin Atlantic had decided against resuming its long-standing Hong Kong route, which it had begun operating in 1994.
The airline cited operational difficulties resulting from the closure of Russian airspace after Ukraine war as a reasoning. The airline has reduced its Asia-Pacific network but it still operates flights to Delhi and Mumbai in India. Virgin has also added a new route to the Maldives last year and flights from Heathrow Airport to Bangalore, India, earlier this year.
The new service invited passengers to explore the cultural diversity, and culinary delights of the "Silicon Valley of India ." It comes as Virgin Atlantic flights could soon return to a new UK airport, for the first time in four years. The Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson expressed his desire to return to Gatwick Airport after flights were shelved during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While new Virgin Atlantic routes haven't been confirmed from Gatwick Airport , the airline has been launching other services across the country. Just last week, the airline launched a brand-new route from Manchester Airport to Las Vegas. Flights between the two destinations started operating on June 2, 2024.
The weekly seasonal service will operate every Sunday, with the direct flight taking 10 hours and 35 minutes. There are plenty of other new routes launching from the UK to destinations Brits might not have considered travelling to before. Meanwhile, Turks and Caicos is set to be the next big thing for Brits, with Virgin Atlantic launching direct flights from the UK twice a week.
In other news, Jet2 will launch 16 brand new routes from a small UK airport this coming winter. Holidaymakers in Bournemouth will have a number of new places to fly to as of February 2025, when the budget airline's flights begin. Bosses at the airline initially wanted to take off from Hurn on April 1, 2025, but following demand from excitable customers, this has been brought forward to February 4.
Popular holiday destinations including Spain , Turkey , Greece and Portugal are among the new destinations to be served by the airline, once the routes take to the skies in 2025. For nervous flyers, Eurostar has confirmed that a popular holiday route is set to return later this year. Those keen on skipping summer and craving the cold months are in for a treat as they will be able to get a train straight to a dreamy winter destination.
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